Astrodome Book Talk & Holiday Party Update

Authors in ArchitectureThe Eighth Wonder of the World: The Life of Houston`s Iconic Astrodome by Robert C Trumpbour & Kenneth Womack

Thursday, December 8, 2016, 5:30 p.m. Reception, 6 p.m. Presentation

Architecture Center Houston 315 Capitol, Ste 120, Houston, TX 77002

Join us for an Authors in Architecture book talk and signing with authors Robert C. Trumpbour and Kenneth Womack on Thursday, December 8, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. The event will be downtown at Architecture Center Houston; address above. A book signing will immediately follow and books will be available for sale at the event.

Use the link at the bottom to go to the AIA event page and read more about the book, authors, and RSVP to the event.

This free and open to the public event is presented in partnership Architecture Center Houston (ArCH), Preservation Houston, and Houston Mod.

Member Holiday Party Update

Email invitations to the Houston Mod Holiday Party on December 9th have been distributed to members. If you believe you are a member but did not receive an email invitation, please contact us at info@houstonmod.org to check your membership status.

If you are not a member, it is not too late to join! Sign up for a membership by Wednesday, December 7th, and we will forward you the event details and add you to the guest list. Memberships may be purchased here: https://squareup.com/store/houstonmod

Candlelight House Tour - Old Braeswood, Friday, November 18; a final celebration for PastForward 2016, the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Old Braeswood neighbors and members of The Heritage Society, Preservation Houston, and Houston Mod are invited to join preservation professionals visiting from across the country for a rare night-time tour featuring a mix of traditional and modern homes.

Explore Old Braeswood`s broad streets lined with an eclectic architectural collection of houses from the 1920s through the 1950s.

At your own pace and order, see the interiors of eight homes and enjoy an on-going lively reception at the beautifully restored Allen House, a 1936 Wirtz and Calhoun masterpiece and the first modern house in Braeswood.

This nifty vintage contemporary style house contains a treasure trove of sought after mod details starting at the rare translucent fiberglass front door and leading through to the glamorous swimming pool and terrace complete with outdoor wet bar and gas-fired tiki torches. The flowing living areas surround a large and open high ceilinged kitchen still with original arrangement and cabinetry. The breakfast room has an original wall mural, metal screen space dividers, planter box and likely a Higgins glass Rondelay window screen. Many other delightful vintage features complete the scene.

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Has your Houston Mod membership expired or would you like to join? Membership signup and renewal will be available at this location, along with Houston Mod publications which make excellent gifts!

House 2: 7 Buffalo Ridge Circle, Indian Trail, Houston, Texas, 77056

http://www.har.com/7-buffalo-ridge-circle/sale_23430918

Architect Ralph Anderson designed this AIA award winning house in 1978 for fellow Rice architecture alum David Chapman and wife Erminie Chambers. Anderson (1923-1990), joined the prominent architecture firm of Wilson, Morris & Crain in 1947 and became a partner in 1952. His other projects include the Astrodome, Houston Post Building, and the endangered Frank Erwin Center.

The design for the Chapman house provides numerous decks and walls of glass making the most of the lush wooded ravine setting. Additional features include art display walls, dramatic sloped ceilings, sky roofs, lofts, catering area, and a motor court, all magnificently maintained.

Upcoming Events

Past Forward, The National Trust for Historic Preservation`s annual conference, will be held in Houston, November 15-18, 2016. Attendees will explore how preservation can play a greater role in securing healthier, more sustainable and just cities. Information on special tickets for Houston Mod Members to the Candlelight House Tour will be distributed shortly.

Stay tuned for information on Houston Mod`s annual member Holiday Party. If you are not a member, join now to guarantee an invitation to the celebration in an incredible modern space.

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Do you shop on Amazon? Donate a small percentage of your purchases at no cost to you by adding Houston Mod as your charitable organization of choice at Amazon Smile. Join the Houston Mod Facebook Page and Houston Mod Discussion Forum for more mod-minded fun. Support future Houston Mod events by becoming a member.

Houston Mod is dedicated to promoting knowledge and appreciation of modern architecture and design in Houston and Texas and advocates the preservation of this cultural legacy, seeking support from its members and the general public in achieving this goal.

See Four Houses for October 23rd Mod of the Month in the Meyerland, Westbury & Braes Timbers Areas

October Mod of the Month

Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, October 23, 2016, for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM.

Please join us to help find new preservation-minded owners for these vintage contemporary/modern style houses in the Meyerland, Westbury and Braes Timbers subdivisions of Houston, located about 8 - 10 miles southwest of downtown.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. Save the date for the next MODern Market on April 21-23, 2017!

~5302 Braesheather Drive, Meyerland, Houston, Texas 77096

HAR Link http://www.har.com/5302-braesheather-dr/sale_19826640

Joel Brand, FAIA designed this expansive modern house featuring broad plate glass walls opening to partially walled landscaped gardens from most rooms. Many rooms are fitted with extensive built-in cabinetry.

Joel Brand is a graduate of the University of Houston, College of Architecture. He became registered to practice in Texas in 1966. He first worked for Howard Barnstone beginning in 1957, then later for Bolton & Barnstone for several years before co- founding Brand & Allen in 1965. He worked prolifically in the Houston area before moving to central Texas and later to the west coast.

Houston Mod publications and memberships/renewals will be avaailable at this location. Houston Mod publications make excellent gifts.

~4815 Braesvalley Drive, Meyerland, Houston, Texas 77096

HAR Link http://www.har.com/4815-braesvalley-dr/sale_78493994

This house has a unique and inviting floor plan with multiple living areas featuring walls of glass opening to private outdoor spaces. The entry sequence has a Palm Springs feel with a stylish double porte cochere that is connected to the double door entry through a cactus-landscaped court topped by soaring beams. Architect Lars Bang designed the house in 1956.

Bang was a 1950 graduate of the University of Houston. Bang first worked for Phillip Willard where he had a hand in designing over one thousand houses. He designed and built the internationally acclaimed Bendit house from 1952 - 1954. He partnered with Lucian Hood until 1959 on several large projects. Bang formed his own firm in 1960 and concentrated mostly on commercial projects for the remainder of his career.

~10815 Kit Street, Westbury, Houston, Texas 77096

HAR Link http://www.har.com/10815-kit-st/sale_80955994

This flat-roofed vintage modern style house has a partially covered court yard entry opening to a spacious living area viewing the unusually large park-like nature habitat/back yard. If you know about the history of this house, please provide the information to Houston Mod.

~9307 McAvoy, Braes Timbers, Houston, Texas 77074

HAR Link http://www.har.com/9307-mcavoy-dr/sale_31026339

This very attractive contemporary style house was designed by architect Lucian T. Hood, Jr., a 1952 graduate of the University of Houston. Hood was a master at designing picturesque elevations while creating captivating perspective drawings of his projects. The flexible living spaces, complete with brick wall and fireplace, open wide to the expansive views of the giant lot with a swimming pool as the focal point.

Hood designed mostly modern architecture until the mid to late 1960`s when a demand for more traditional styles necessitated a change. His extensive archives are now preserved at the University of Houston Special Collections library. Sadly, many of his most spectacular modern houses have been demolished and most records of them lost. This house may be on drive-by only status on Sunday.

Other News & Events

Houston To Host Nation`s Preservationists

The National Trust for Historic Preservation`s annual conference, Past Forward, will be held in Houston, November 15-18, 2016. Attendees will explore how preservation can play a greater role in securing healthier, more sustainable and just cities through educational programming, field studies, and special events throughout the city. Click here to view a promotional video created by the Trust showcasing Houston. Visit the Past Forward website to learn more or register.

Stay tuned for information about the special ticket availability to the Candlelight House Tour for Houston Mod members. Eight houses, many never open before, will be featured.

____________________________ Do you shop at Amazon.com? Donate a small percentage of your purchases at no cost to you by adding Houston Mod as your charitable organization of choice at Amazon Smile.

MOD Art Lecture & UH Campus Tour This Week

Current News & Events

`This WAS Contemporary Art` Exhibit Lecture - Wed. Oct. 5, 2016

Join us at the Heritage Society, Wednesday, October 5 at 7 PM for a special lecture by Randy Tibbits, one of the guest curators of the current exhibit: `This WAS Contemporary Art: Fine and Decorative Arts in Houston 1945-1965`.

Admission: $5 general; free for Heritage Society members. The Gallery will be open 10 AM - 9 PM on Wednesday. The exhibit closes on Saturday, October 15, 2016.

University of Houston Art & Architecture Tour - Sat. Oct. 8, 2016

As part of Docomomo US National Tour Day, the AIA Houston and Houston Mod have partnered to host a walking tour exploring the art, architecture and campus design at the University of Houston on Saturday, October 8 at 10 AM.

On September 22, 2016, Delaney Harris-Finch (Houston Mod board member) and Anna Mod (Houston Mod co-founder and Master Mod) traveled to New York City to accept a Modernism in America Award from Docomomo US. The Survey/Inventory Citation of Merit was presented by the Docomomo US Board Vice President, Robert Meckfessel of Dallas, Texas.

The Houston: Uncommon Modern project along with 9 other exemplary projects that raise awareness of the importance of architecture and design of postwar society in the United States were honored. Exhibit catalogs are still available, email info@houstonmod.org for purchase information.

Houston To Host Nation`s Preservationists - Nov. 15-18, 2016

The National Trust for Historic Preservation`s annual conference, Past Forward, will be held in Houston, November 15-18, 2016. Attendees will explore how preservation can play a greater role in securing healthier, more sustainable and just cities through educational programming, field studies, and special events throughout the city.

Visit the Past Forward website to learn more or register. Stay tuned for info on special ticket availability to the Candlelight House Tour for Houston Mod members.

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Do you shop at Amazon.com? Donate a small percentage of your purchases at no cost to you by adding Houston Mod as your charitable organization of choice at Amazon Smile. Join the Houston Mod Facebook Page and Houston Mod Discussion Forum for more mod-minded fun. Support future Houston Mod events by becoming a member.

Glenbrook Valley Home Tour October 1 & 2, 2016, Noon to 4:00 PM

Houston`s Glenbrook Valley, the largest mid-century historic district in the United States, is holding a home tour Saturday and Sunday, October 1 & 2, 2016 from noon to 4 PM each day. Six houses are featured. Tickets are $30.00 and benefit the neighborhood entry sign replacement progeam. Tickets stations are located at 8103 Glen Valley & 8102 Colgate.

Stephen Fox Lecture follows Mod of the Month Open House on Sunday, September 18, Both in Braeswood Area

September Mod of the Month

Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, September 18, 2016 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 1:30 - 3:30 PM.

Please join us to help find a new preservation-minded owner for this vintage contemporary home in the Woodside subdivision of Houston, located about 6 miles southwest of downtown. Note that the usual event time has been adjusted to allow for attendance of an architecture talk by Stephen Fox at 4 PM, further details below.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. Save the date for the next MODern Market on April 21-23, 2017!

Event Location: 3730 Sun Valley Drive, Woodside, Houston, TX 77025

The theme of September`s Mod of the Month is Before & After. This house was also Mod of the Month in July 2015 when it was being sold by the original owner in worn, but almost original, condition. Come see how it has escaped demolition and been restored and renovated with care for the original design and character.

Architect James Womack designed the striking butterfly-roofed house in 1955. Womack was a 1950 graduate of the University of Houston College of Architecture. He became a registered architect in 1950 and designed structures located throughout Houston including Meyerland, Glenbrook Valley, and Meadowcreek Village. He worked with architect John Phenix.

Other News & Events

`Constructing Jewish Houston` Talk By Stephen Fox

Follow up the Houston Mod of the Month event on Sunday, September 18 at 4 PM, with a lecture by architectural historian and Master Mod Stephen Fox on works of architecture associated with Houston`s Jewish community. The talk will pose the question: how have these buildings and sites contributed to Houston`s emergence as a major U.S. city? The lecture is part of the 8th Annual Rice University Jewish Studies Lecture Series presented in partnership with the Bobbi and Vic Samuels Center for Jewish Living and will be at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center located at 5601 S Braeswood Blvd. Tickets available online for $10 for the general public.

Mecom Fountain Restored By Friends!

Thanks to the Friends of the Fountain, the Mecom Fountain has been restored to its 1964, Eugene Werlin design. The Friends, led by Pheobe Tudor and Bill Baldwin, hosted a Ribbon Cutting event last week, celebrating the restoration. Mayor Sylvester Turner spoke to the crowd on the importance of preserving our past. The group raised well over the $60,000 goal to reverse inappropriate alterations to the protected city landmark that began earlier this year. Surplus funds from the crowd-sourced campaign allowed for completion of the original scope to remove limestone panels and patch holes, as well as additional work to re-coat the bowls to original specifications, replace lights, and install a chlorination system. Well done, Friends!

Houston To Host Nation`s Preservationists

The National Trust for Historic Preservation`s annual conference, Past Forward, will be held in Houston, November 15-18, 2016. Attendees will explore how preservation can play a greater role in securing healthier, more sustainable and just cities through educational programming, field studies, and special events throughout the city. Click here to view a promotional video created by the Trust showcasing Houston. Visit the Past Forward website to learn more or register. Stay tuned for info on special ticket availability to the Candlelight House Tour for Houston Mod members.

Do you shop at Amazon.com? Donate a small percentage of your purchases at no cost to you by adding Houston Mod as your charitable organization of choice at Amazon Smile. Join the Houston Mod Facebook Page and Houston Mod Discussion Forum at HAIF for more mod-minded fun. Support future Houston Mod events by becoming a member. Houston Mod publications will be available at the Mod of the Month event.

From glittering postmodern skyscrapers by Philip Johnson and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to gems from local architects including Lloyd, Morgan & Jones, downtown Houston`s skyline is a chronicle of the city`s phenomenal 20th-century growth.

The Modern Downtown walk is a special preview of a tour that Preservation Houston and Houston Mod are partnering to offer as part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation`s annual conference in November.

Join us and explore downtown buildings and signature towers from 1940-1990, with additional discussion on regional modernism, preservation challenges, and the development of the United States` largest unzoned central business district.

This is an exterior architecture tour only, there are no public restrooms stops planned along the route. Metered street parking is free downtown Sundays.

Meet at the northeast corner of Fannin and McKinney for ticket sales and tour starting point. Tickets go on sale at 5:30 PM on the northeast corner of Fannin and McKinney.

$7 for members of Houston Mod or Preservation Houston, and students; $10 general admission (children 11 years old and under free); $2 discount for participants who walk, bike or use public transportation to the tour.

Rescued University Oaks Mod is the August 7th, 2016 Mod of the Month, Tour it Sunday, 2 - 4 PM, Take the Riverside Driving Tour Too

August Mod of the Month

Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, August 7, 2016 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM.

Please join us to help find a new preservation-minded owner for this vintage contemporary home. This month`s event takes place in the University Oaks subdivision of Houston, located about 3 miles southeast of downtown.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. Save the date for the next MODern Market on April 21-23, 2017!

This 1950s contemporary home, recently saved from demolition and updated, is in need of a new owner to continue its preservation. The house is situated on a spacious tree shaded site viewing the picturesque Brays Bayou and is minutes away from Hermann Park, the Medical Center, the University of Houston, and the new MetroRail southeast purple line. The spacious, light filled house has a free flowing plan opening to an expansive patio and swimming pool.

The daughter of the original owners reports the house was originally designed and built by her father, Paul Z. Brochstein. His brothers, Harry and I H. built and lived in the two houses to the east of 4345.

The Riverside area is filled with history and significant architecture. Stephen Fox wrote about the area in a 1987 Cite Magazine article, `Riverside Terrace and Environs: An Architectural Tour`. Click the link to view a PDF with architectural descriptions and tour map, then explore the neighborhood this weekend to see what has changed and what remains and may be preserved. Search HoustonMod.org to learn more about the mod architecture in the area including the University of Houston and Texas Southern University campuses. The Houston Mod exhibition brochure, `Endangered Modern - The Real Story` features a description of the area and will be available at Sunday`s event.

Other News & Events

This WAS Contemporary Art is now open at the Heritage Society Museum Gallery at Sam Houston Park. Learn about what was happening in Houston in art, architecture, and design from the 1940s-1960s! On view Tuesday - Saturday, 10 AM - 4 PM, through October 15, 2016. Houston Mod members, board members and Master Mods have contributed to this high quality exhibition. Admission is free of charge.

Do you shop at Amazon.com? Donate a small percentage of your purchases at no cost to you by adding Houston Mod as your charitable organization of choice at Amazon Smile. Join the Houston Mod Facebook Page and Houston Mod Discussion Forum for more mod-minded fun. Support future Houston Mod events by becoming a member. Houston Mod publications will be available at Sunday`s event.

Meet MCM Architect Hy Applebaum and View His Own House at Mod of the Month July 17 in Meyerland

July Mod of the Month

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, July 17, 2016 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2-4 PM.

Please join us Sunday to help us find a new preservation-minded owner for this outstanding architect designed modern home. This month`s event takes place in the Meyerland subdivision of Houston, located about 9 miles southwest of downtown.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. Save the date for the next MODern Market on April 21-23, 2017!

This is an extra special opportunity to tour a vintage modern house designed and still occupied by its original owners. Architect Hy Applebaum and his wife will be at Sunday`s event to discuss the house and his career as well as Houston`s architectural scene.

Hy A. Applebaum, AIA is a 1956 graduate of the Rice University School of Architecture and principal of the Houston-based R&A Architects since its founding in 1963. The house of his design, expansive in plan and richly detailed, has been occupied and wonderfully maintained by Mr. and Mrs. Applebaum and family since its construction.

Other News & Events

This WAS Contemporary Art is now open at the Heritage Society Museum Gallery at Sam Houston Park. Learn about what was happening in Houston in art, architecture, and design from the 1940s-1960s! On view Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm through October 15, 2016.

Houston Mod members, board members and Master Mods have contributed to this high quality exhibition. Admission is free of charge.

Do you shop at Amazon.com? Donate a small percentage of your purchases at no cost to you by adding Houston Mod as your charitable organization of choice at Amazon Smile.

Memorial Hollow Mod of the Month is Made in the Shade and Open Sunday, June 26, 2016

June Mod of the Month

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, June 26, 2016 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM.

This month`s event takes place in the Memorial area of west Houston, located about 11 miles west of downtown. Let`s help find a new preservation-minded owner for this vintage modern house.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. Save the date for the next MODern Market on April 21-23, 2017!

Event Location: 12430 Perthshire Road, Houston Texas, 77024

A double door court yard entry sets the tone for this early 1960s contemporary home situated in a beautiful wooded Memorial area neighborhood. Other much desired modern aspects such as walls of plate glass, a special low slope roof, double carport, solar brick screen wall, and a louvered canopy complete the mod scene. The area has sought after schools as well as a number of architect designed houses.

Other News & Events

Houston: Uncommon Modern Wins National Award!

The Houston: Uncommon Modern project has won a Modernism in America Award! The annual award program by Docomomo US has announced 10 exemplary projects to be honored this year from across the country that raise awareness of the importance of architecture, landscapes and typologies of postwar society in the United States. The co-curators, Anna Mod (Houston Mod co-founder) and Delaney Harris-Finch (Houston Mod board member), will receive the Survey/Inventory Citation of Merit award at a ceremony on September 22, 2016 in New York City.

Houston Mod is pleased to be associated with the Modernism in America Awards program for the third year in a row! Last year, Save The Dome (a coalition of Preservation Houston, National Trust for Historic Preservation, AIA Houston, Houston Arts & Media and Houston Mod) received the Advocacy Award of Excellence for the public education effort to save the Astrodome. Two years ago, the inaugural presentation of the Modernism in America Awards program was hosted in Houston at the Docomomo US National Symposium in the sanctuary of the downtown First Church of Christ, Scientist.

There are plans underway for the Houston: Uncommon Modern exhibit to be displayed elsewhere in Texas in the near future - details to follow.

The exhibit catalog will be available at this Sunday`s Mod of the Month event along with other Houston Mod publications.

Do you shop on Amazon.com? Donate a small percentage of your purchases at no cost to you by adding Houston Mod as your charitable organization of choice at Amazon Smile.

Summer Sip & Shop June 23, 2016 at Mod Mod!

2311 Dunlavy St. Houston, TX 77006 (back of the building off Fairview St.)

Join us for an evening of shopping and socializing at the Mod Mod Recycled Vintage Furniture store located in the heart of Montrose. This new shop features an ever-changing selection of 20th century modern furniture and accessories for all tastes.

The Mod Mod Sip & Shop was rescheduled from earlier this year due to severe weather during MODern Month in April. Houston Mod is pleased to be able to hold this event, free to Houston Mod members and followers.

We hope to see you there to meet and enjoy the company of fellow Modsters!

Spectacular Frame House is Mod of the Month April 24, 2016- Houston`s Favorite Mod on Tour Sunday!

April Mod of the Month April is MODern Month in Texas!

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, April 24, 2016 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 3 - 5 PM.

Our special MODern Month event takes place in the Memorial area, located about 6 miles west of downtown Houston. This is an opportunity to preview the soon to be listed for sale Frame-Harper House and help find a new preservation-minded owner.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

Location: 403 Westminster Drive, Huntleigh, Houston, Texas 77024

Architect Harwood Taylor, of the firm Neuhaus & Taylor, designed this exciting modern house for the David A. Frame family in 1958 - 1959. Situated high upon a topographically challenging site along the north bank of Buffalo Bayou, this is perhaps Houston`s favorite modern house. The house was restored by it`s third owner, Dana Harper, with the assistance of Stern and Bucek architects, and has received the Good Brick Award from Preservation Houston. It has been designated a Protected Landmark by the City of Houston. Amenities include spectacular terrazzo floored living spaces, 5/6 bedrooms, 5+ baths, guest house, salt water swimming pool, elevator, and expansive terrazo patios. The kitchen has stainless steel counters and European appliances. Walls of glass and soaring ceilings abound making it a great house for entertaining.

Harwood Taylor was born in Dallas in 1927 and raised in Houston, living in River Oaks. He studied architecture at the University of Houston and University of Texas where he graduated in 1951. He worked for Houston architect William Floyd until 1953 when he became a registered architect. In 1955 he and high school classmate J. Victor Neuhaus III became partners. Their firm was successful and eventually grew to perform international services, renamed 3D/I. The Houston Mod publication Booming Houston & the Modern House- Residential Architecture of Neuhaus & Taylor, by Ben Koush, has more information and will be available at this event.

Other News & Events

Before visiting the Frame-Harper house, don`t miss the Garden Oaks Home and Garden Tour April 24 featuring a 1942 modern house by architect Allen Williams at 851 W. 43rd Street, 77018. Individual entry tickets are available.

Newly Scheduled Event: Open House- Mod of the Month April 24, 3 - 5 PM 403 Westminster Drive, Houston, Texas 77024 Help find new preservation-minded owners for the Frame-Harper House, one of Houston`s most spectacular and important modern houses Admission Free www.houstonmod.org

Visit the MODern Month poster linked below for photos and other MOD Month events.

April is MODern Month in Houston and Texas! ~2016 Mod Month Events

We are pleased to celebrate MODern Month with a full month of events for 2016! Please join us at the lectures, cocktail parties, walking tours, house tours, open houses, and shopping opportunities, all with ties to the appreciation of modern design.

Click the link for this year`s Modern Month poster with all of the details.

Houston Mod established MODern Month in April 2010 to focus attention on the importance of protecting modern architecture and design in Houston and Texas. Preservation Texas expanded the program to a state-wide focus.

Join us for a panel discussion exploring the benefits and challenges of repurposing mid-century modern buildings. The exhibit catalog will be available and features the buildings and photographs from the exhibit, a feature essay and an appendix of over 400 sites identified in the crowd sourced survey.

This event is co-hosted by Houston Mod. Houston: Uncommon Modern is a preservation minded project that documents, analyzes and celebrates our city’s abundance of secondary and tertiary mid-century buildings hidden in full sight. An exhibit featuring 100+ photos will be on view at Architecture Center Houston November 24 - February 19. Churches, office buildings, business parks, donut shops, schools and gas stations show off the design and materials of these overlooked architectural resources of Houston’s sprawling and often underappreciated cityscape.

Meyerland Mods- See Six on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, February 14, 2016 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2-4 PM.

The focus on finding new preservation-minded owners for Meyerland`s vintage modern houses continues. Sunday`s event takes place in Meyerland, located about eight miles southwest of downtown Houston.

Meyerland has a large concentration of some of Houston`s best mid-century modern architecture. Many properties there are now in need of new preservation-minded owners, some due to the weather-related damages suffered last May. Houston Mod is dedicated to promoting knowledge and appreciation of modern architecture and design in Houston and Texas and advocates the preservation of this cultural legacy, seeking support from its members and the general public in achieving this goal.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

5239 Loch Lomond Drive, Meyerland, Houston, Texas 77096

Architect Herb Ulbricht designed this mostly flat roofed modern house for his family in the mid-1960s. The public rooms are organized around a now enclosed atrium with floor to ceiling windows and sliding glass doors that allow free flow and views of the geometrically arranged private yard with swimming pool. Spaces are gallery-like with natural wood ceilings supported by wood beams. Expansive walls provide abundant art display possibilities. Flexible bedroom arrangements give optional uses such as a game room and/or studio.

Herbert H. Ulbricht was born in Lockhart in 1923 and graduated from the University of Texas in 1949. He became a registered architect in Texas in 1952. He was a partner of Stayton Nunn and his son, Stayton Nunn, Jr., from 1957-1960, when he designed the William Bates house (1957) located at 210 Pine Hollow Lane. In 1960, he opened his own firm where he designed Anson Jones Elementary School (1967), Long Point National Bank (1967), and Northwest Savings Building (1969). He and his wife Martha live in Austin today. Mr. Ulbricht is in the process of sending Houston Mod more information about his career.

Hilshire Village Mods Open Sunday, November 22, 2015 for Mod of the Month

November Mod of the Month

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, November 22, 2015 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2:00 - 4:00 PM.

Help find new preservation-minded owners for these two well designed houses located in Hilshire Village, about seven miles west of downtown Houston. Hilshire Village is a city incorporated in 1955 and is one of the six Memorial Villages. It has a population of about 750 and is about one-third square mile in size.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

House 1: 1202 Ridgeley Drive, Houston, Texas 77055

The complementary relationship of this well designed 1950s modern house to its beautifully landscaped almost half-acre ravine-front site results in forming a truly attractive property. A long-term early owner was the well known landscape architect Joe P. Teas of Cornelius and Teas nurseries. His work strengthened the indoor-outdoor flow of the still mostly original house which includes such sought-after mod features as: tall sloped ceilings, a natural stone fireplace wall, stone floors and planter boxes, stained wood walls, special lighting, numerous built-ins, skylights, and wall to wall glass bringing in the picturesque setting. Beyond the glass, there is a large curved wooden deck with built-in seating extending into the naturalistic reserve complete with rock-enhanced trails through the sloping terrain. Three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a study, and a four-car garage complete the scene.

House 2: 1 Pine Creek Lane, Houston, Tesas 77055

This unique early 1970s modern house has been thoughtfully designed, maintained, and updated by its original long-time owners. Privacy is maintained street side by brick walls with articulated slot and clear story windows while other elevations open wide to forested yard and patio views. A streamlined modern double-sided fireplace wall punctures the rear glass wall while it defines the living and dining areas. Many walls, floors, and built-ins are covered with natural light-toned wood as is the barrel-vaulted rounded master bedroom. A sauna, kitchenette and a large master bath complete this memorable suite. Special features continue into the other two bed and bath rooms plus the study.

Other News & Events

It is an exciting year-end for Houston Mod! Besides this weekend`s Mod of the Month, we soon have an exhibition opening at AIA as well as our annual Holiday Party.

Tuesday, November 24, 5:30-7:00 PM at AIA Architecture Center Houston (ArCH) is the opening of Houston: Uncommon Modern Photography Exhibit. The exhibition is the latest event associated with a preservation minded project that documents, analyzes and celebrates Houston`s secondary and tertiary midcentury buildings hidden in full sight.

Sunday, December 6 is the Houston Mod Holiday Party. Members were sent invitations via email earlier this week. If you did not receive an invitation, please contact Houston Mod to check your membership status.

Join us at the Houston Mod Discussion Forum and Houston Mod Facebook Page for more mod-minded fun.

Support future Houston Mod events by becoming a member. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org.

Houston Mod publications make excellent gifts and will be available at Sunday`s event.

A day after the DoCoMoMo Tour, Visit Two Mods Needing new Preservation Minded Owners, River Oaks & Willow Meadows, Oct 11, 3-5 PM

October Mod of the Month

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, October 11, 2015 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 3-5 PM.

Help find new preservation-minded owners for these two two fantastic architect designed houses. One is located in River Oaks, about 2 miles west of downtown Houston, and another in Willow Meadows, about 8 miles southwest of downtown Houston.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

~ 2 Tiel Way, Houston, Texas 77019

The organic concepts of legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright inspired this magnificent original owner house situated on one of Houston`s most picturesque streets. Architects Frederick MacKie (1905-1984) and Karl Kamrath (1911-1988), both graduates of the University of Texas, designed this house for the A. J. Ballantyne family in 1958. It was built in 1961 on two wooded ravine-front lots next to Kamrath`s own house. Kamrath was so inspired by Wright that he based his career on Wright`s concepts, eventually leading to several meetings and a friendship with Mr. Wright. Kamrath`s designs were popular in making modern design appealing to a wide audience and earned the firm local and national recognition.

As do many Wright and Kamrath designs, the front elevation projects a sense of mystery. Transitioning the reduced scale entry, the spaces expand in several directions. The floor elevation descends several steps to the living area while the wood beamed ceiling rises above leading to walls of plate glass viewing broad outdoor living space in the naturalistic setting. A portion of the living area projects out into the ravine. The plan is based on a 6` x 6` grid and incorporates five bedrooms and six baths, a spectacular fireplace, and abundant built-ins and storage space. A swimming pool is located in a terraced area of the over two acre lushly landscaped grounds which were designed and planted by Dr. Ballantyne.

~ 10111 Cliffwood Drive, Houston, Texas 77035

Noted modernist architect William R. Jenkins designed this beautiful prominently sited mid-century modern house in 1956 for the Weintraub family. The cross-axial floor plan displays great clarity and provides all rooms light and openness. Having had only two thoughtful owners, the house maintains most of its architect-intended details including the terrific kitchen, hardwood floors, bathrooms opening to private gardens, exciting mod light fixtures, and even the original built-in television set. The current owners received a Houston Mod Preservation Award for their careful maintenance of the house in 2009. More detailed information can be found in the Houston Mod publication by Jason Smith entitled High Style in the Suburbs: The Early Modern Houses of William R. Jenkins which will be available, along with other Houston Mod publications, at Sunday`s event.

William Jenkins (1925-1989) graduated from the University of Houston in 1951 where he learned from talented instructors including Donald Barthelme and Howard Barnstone. Early in his career, he worked with William Floyd and Harwood Taylor. He taught architecture at UH beginning in 1956 and earned his master of architecture degree in 1966 from Texas A & M University. With William Hoff, he designed important buildings such as the Park IV and V apartment towers, the Hillcroft Professional Building, and many others. Jenkins served as the Dean of the UH College of Architecture from 1969 to 1988.

Other News & Events

Saturday October 10th: Uncommon Modern Bus Tour Hop on the bus with Houston Mod for an hour long tour of Brookhollow Business Park and celebrate mid-century design on Docomomo US Tour Day. Tickets are $15-$20. Walk-ups will be accepted, however, space is limited.

Last Call for Nominations: 2015 Houston Mod Preservation Awards Houston Mod is accepting nominations for the 2015 Houston Mod Preservation Awards through Sunday, October 11th. Click here to nominate individuals or organizations that have made significant efforts to retain, restore, preserve and/or advocate for Houston`s modern heritage.

It is an exciting Houston Mod weekend! We hope to see you at the Uncommon Modern Tour and Mod of the Month event. Join us at the Houston Mod Discussion Forum and Houston Mod Facebook Page for more mod-minded fun.

Support future Houston Mod events by becoming a member. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org. Houston Mod is dedicated to promoting knowledge and appreciation of modern architecture and design in Houston and Texas and advocates the preservation of this cultural legacy, seeking support from its members and the general public in achieving this goal.

Tour: Palm Springs on the Island- Galveston Mod of the Month September 27, 2015

Houston Mod invites you to join us in Galveston this Sunday, September 27, 2015 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2-4 PM.

It`s Palm Springs on the Island at this month`s event featuring two fantastic architect designed houses in Galveston needing new preservation-minded owners. The houses are located about 50 miles southeast of downtown Houston.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

43 Cedar Lawn Circle, Galveston, Texas 77551

Frank Sinatra recommended Palm Springs architect E. Stewart Williams to his friend Sam Maceo, Galveston club and casino operator. The result is this landmark modern house, one of the areas most important architectural treasures. Completed in 1951 in Galveston`s desirable Cedar Lawn neighborhood, it was intended for Maceo`s young family as well as entertaining friends like Sinatra, Bob Hope, George Burns, Peggy Lee, Jimmy Dorsey and Phil Harris among others. The original landscape and interior design plans were completed by nationally prominent designers Garrett Eckbo and T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings.

The expansive house is centered around an amoeba shaped swimming pool and lush gardens. Over 6,000 square feet of living space includes four to six bedrooms and nine full bathrooms plus one half bathroom. Floors are travertine and flagstone. Cabinetry of American black walnut and birds-eye maple is found in most rooms. The exterior is redwood and brick. The walled lot is over one acre in size. Cedar Lawn subdivision contains a number of important houses and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

4603 Sherman Boulevard, Galveston, Texas 77551

Open for the first time, this important house by architect Thomas M. Price is still owned by the family that commissioned and built the house in the late 1950s. Architectural historian Stephen Fox described Price as Galveston`s foremost modern architect. Price (1916-1998) was from Virginia and received his master`s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design where he was instructed by modern masters Marcel Breuer and Walter Gropius. Price was involved in early efforts to preserve Galveston`s architectural heritage.

The Cokins house is ideally situated about a block from the beach yet at one of the island`s highest elevations. The composition includes a white brick exterior with signature mod solar panels screening the front facing entry court complete with planter box and goldfish pool. Doors and many windows extend full length floor to ceiling. A contrasting dark brick fireplace divides the living areas. Every detail seems to have been thoughtfully articulated. A restoration of the house is planned.

Professor Guy W. Carwile thoroughly discussed Price`s Jack Tar Hotel and other work last fall at Houston Modern Market. For past and further discussion and photos visit the HM discussion page at HAIF.

Join Houston Mod on a tour of Brookhollow Business Park and explore mid and low-rise modern commercial buildings in a lesser known area of Houston. The tour is part of Docomomo US` Tour Day, a nation-wide celebration of mid-century design. Tickets: $15-$20.

Call for Nominations

2015 Houston Mod Preservation Awards Deadline: October 11th

Houston Mod is now accepting nominations for the 2015 Houston Mod Preservation Awards. Please email HM your nominations of individuals or organizations that have made significant efforts to retain, restore, preserve and/or advocate for Houston`s modern heritage.

We hope to see you at Sunday`s Mod of the Month event in Galveston! Houston Mod publications will be available. Please join us at the Houston Mod Discussion Forum and Houston Mod Facebook Page for more mod-minded fun.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org.

Houston: Uncommon Modern Bus Tour Saturday, October 10, 2015

Join Houston Mod on a shuttle bus tour of Brookhollow Business Park, the first event associated with Houston: Uncommon Modern, a project that seeks to uncover and honor under-valued modern architecture in the less explored areas of Houston. The tour is also a part of Docomomo US` Tour Day, a nation-wide celebration of mid-century design.

Located at the intersection of the 610 Loop and Highway 290, Brookhollow Business Park is a late 1960s development project that features a significant collection of intact mid and low-rise modern commercial buildings.

The Brookhollow Business Park tour will also serve as a preview for the Houston: Uncommon Modern photo exhibit to open at Architecture Center Houston in November. More info to come.

Now accepting 2015 Houston Mod Preservation Awards nominations

Anyone may submit nominations for individuals or organizations that have made significant efforts to retain, restore, preserve and/or advocate for the value of Houston’s modern heritage. Awards will be presented at the Houston Mod December member party.

Jackson Wisdom Mod of the Month in Meyerland August 23 Plus More Mod News

August Mod of the Month

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, August 23, 2015 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM.

The focus on finding new preservation-minded owners for recently flooded modern houses continues. Sunday`s event takes place in Meyerland, located about eight miles southwest of downtown Houston.

Rain totals of up to 11` flooded Houston on May 26, 2015 causing deaths and damaging over 2,500 homes. Much of the damage occurred in the southwest area of Houston where there is a large concentration of some of Houston`s best mid-century modern architecture leaving it`s future in peril. Home owners are uncertain if they can or will restore their houses, elevate them, or replace them. Houston Mod is dedicated to promoting knowledge and appreciation of modern architecture and design in Houston and Texas and advocates the preservation of this cultural legacy, seeking support from its members and the general public in achieving this goal.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

Location: 4902 Heatherglen Drive, Meyerland, Houston, Texas 77096

Contrasting dark toned brick and light toned solar block walls make a crisply elegant geometric statement in this modern house designed by architect W. Jackson Wisdom. The centralized living area views the front and back yards through plate glass walls while the dining room has it`s own solar screened courtyard. Four bedrooms, three baths, a game room and a two car garage complete the picture on the live oak shaded corner lot. Architects Leonard Gabert and Jack Wisdom earlier were partners who designed several modern houses including the Hurwitz house, 3007 S. Braeswood, site of the 2013 Houston MODern Market party.

Unfortunately, 4902 Heatherglen was flooded on Memorial Day and now needs to be rescued by a new preservation minded owner. Please note, this house will be open while undergoing flood remediation. Please take special care while touring the house.

More Mod Info

Good News on the Flood Front: The owner of 5035 Glenmeadow Drive in Meyerland has decided to restore and continue to occupy his flat-roofed modern house designed by architect Israel Stein. We will share photos and progress reports as they become available.

Braes Manor Discovery: 8611 Timberside Drive may be an early design of architect Jack M. Reber. It is listed for sale as a good building site but appears to have some nifty original mod elements still intact and is worth a look. One of Reber`s major designs is listed in the Houston AIA guide.

Glassell School of Art: Houston is losing a great modern building. The Alfred C. Glassell, Jr., School of Art (1978 by S. I. Morris Associates) is now being demolished. The building was notable for its rigorous exploration of reflective glass block set in exposed poured-in-place concrete frames. Read more about the MFAH redevelopment plan and loss of the Glassell School of Art in the Hyperallergic article, Houston Museum Expansion Wipes Out Local Architect`s Legacy.

We hope to see you at Sunday`s Mod of the Month! Please join us at the Houston Mod Discussion Forum and Houston Mod Facebook Page to discuss these structures and much more.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org . Houston Mod publications will be available at the event.

Class of 1950 Mod of the Month Tour July 26, 2015

July Mod of the Month

Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, July 26, 2015, for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM.

In the spotlight are two architect designed houses needing new preservation-minded owners. They were designed independently by James Womack and Lars Bang, both 1950 graduates of the University of Houston College of Architecture. The houses are located about six and eight miles southwest of downtown Houston.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market and Internum for sponsoring this FREE event.

3730 Sun Valley Drive, Woodside, Houston, Texas 77025 Architect Jim Womack designed this memorable butterfly-roofed modern house in 1955. It remains a time capsule of the 1950s, in almost original condition, having had only one owner since new, a very rare find. The four bedroom- two bath house includes many of the dream features of its time such as central air conditioning, stainless steel kitchen appliances (even the original dishwasher remains), indirect lighting, tiled baths, extensive built-ins, brick planter boxes, accordion and jalousie doors, soaring ceilings, clearstory windows and walls of glass that allow ventilation. The original plans will be displayed and the daughter of the original owner who grew up in the house will be present to talk about the house.

4815 Braesvalley Drive, Meyerland, Houston, Texas 77096 From any vantage point it`s clear: this house is one of the most beautifully composed modern houses anywhere. Architect Lars Bang melded the design elements in such a way the beginnings and endings never seem to occur. Architectural historian Stephen Fox has listed it the latest edition of the AIA Houston Architectural Guide saying it is one of the houses that rescues Meyerland from being boring. Unfortunately, this house was flooded on Memorial Day and now needs to be rescued by a new preservation minded owner. This is a great opportunity to acquire and restore an important Houston landmark.

Rain totals of up to 11` flooded Houston on May 26, 2015 causing deaths and damaging over 2,500 homes. Much of the damage occurred in the southwest area of Houston where there is a large concentration of some of Houston`s best mid century modern architecture leaving it`s future in peril. Home owners are uncertain if they can or will restore their houses, elevate them, or replace them. Houston Mod is dedicated to promoting knowledge and appreciation of modern architecture and design in Houston and Texas and advocates the preservation of this cultural legacy, seeking support from its members and the general public in achieving this goal.

Please note, this house will be open Sunday while undergoing flood remediation. Children and those requiring air conditioning should consider viewing the house from their vehicle.

More Mod Info

We hope to see you at this special Class of 1950 Mod of the Month! Please join us at the Houston Mod Discussion Forum and Houston Mod Facebook Page to discuss these houses and much more. Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org. Houston Mod publications will be available at this event

Thanks to Internum for becoming a Houston Mod Sponsor. Visit the Internum website or showroom to view their collection of contemporary high-end furniture. Shop through August 1, 2015 to take advantage of their current warehouse sale.

H2Ouston Mods Open for June Mod of the Month in Meyerland

June 2015 Mod of the Month

Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, June 28, 2015 for a very important Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM.

Rain totals of up to 11` flooded Houston on May 26, 2015 causing deaths and damaging over 2,500 homes. Much of the damage occurred in the southwest area of Houston where there is a large concentration of some of our best mid century modern architecture leaving it`s future in peril. Home owners are uncertain if they can or will restore their houses, elevate them, or replace them. Houston Mod is dedicated to promoting knowledge and appreciation of modern architecture and design in Houston and Texas and advocates the preservation of this cultural legacy, seeking support from its members and the general public in achieving this goal.

Let`s help find new preservation minded owners for two of the many flooded houses. This event will focus on the Meyerland neighborhood located ten miles southwest of downtown Houston.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

1. 4927 Braesheather Drive, Meyerland, Houston, Texas 77096

This handsome early 1960`s single level house is made immediately memorable by the textures created by the tube-shaped blocks composing much of it`s front elevation. The living areas focus on two attractive courtyards. There are walls of glass, beamed sloped ceilings, brick walls, a freestanding metal fireplace, indirect lighting, sky lights and terrazzo floors. The kitchen opens wide to the living and dining area plus to a third patio area. Four bedrooms, three baths and a two car garage complete the picture. The original floor plans will be available. Visit HAR for more info.

2. 5118 Braesheather Drive, Meyerland, Houston, Texas 77096

Privacy abounds in this custom designed spacious one owner modern house by architect Joel Brand. Built in 1968, the setting is inviting featuring a sweeping shaded circular drive and recessed front porch with impressive soaring double doors and side windows. There are four bedrooms, three full and two half baths, large playroom, three sunny and secure court yards plus a two car garage.

This house is not listed on HAR. Additional information will be available at the event. This house can be viewed from the exterior only at this time.

More Mod Info

We hope to see you at this special Mod of the Month! Please join us at the Houston Mod Discussion Forum and Houston Mod Facebook Page to discuss this home and much more.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org.

Houston Mod Publications will be available at Sunday`s event.

Mod of the Month May 31

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, May 31, 2015 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM.

Please help us find new preservation minded owners for this 1957 vintage modern style house. The residence is located in the Galleria area, about five miles west of downtown Houston.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

Location: 5202 Del Monte Dr, Houston, Texas 77056

This prominently sited dynamic modern house was designed by the architectural firm of A. C. Brodnax & J. R. Phenix Associates who also designed the Astroworld Hotel and Freeport First National Bank along with a number of other structures. Brodnax was an instructor at the University of Houston College of Architecture and got his start with Phil Willard along with Lucian Hood, Lars Bang, Brooks & Brooks and Flynn & Flynn. Even though the house has been recently updated including a new roof, it is listed only as a building site. Notable design elements include the complex butterfly roof, artistically punctuated brick privacy wall, and the custom metal entry gateway. Other modern houses in the neighborhood are being preserved including one by Neuhaus & Taylor and another by Lars Bang which was featured as a Mod of the Month. This house makes a strong contribution to the mid-century modern context of the neighborhood and deserves to be preserved.

We hope to see you at this special Mod of the Month! Please join us at the Houston Mod Discussion Forum and Houston Mod Facebook Page to discuss this home and much more.

Events & Notices

Last week, Houston Mod participated in the Neighborhoods USA 2015 Conference. A special tour of Glenbrook Valley including a visit to several mod houses was provided as part of the agenda to visitors from across the country.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org.

A Perspective On Aging-In-Place

Houston Mod offers the following essay by Adam Murray, who is part of a small group of graduate students at Lawrence Technological University`s College of Architecture. They are currently working on a topic that addresses the idea of `Aging in Place`. The studio aims to anticipate the architectural implications of an aging population. Adam is currently working for FKP, a leading healthcare design firm in Houston, Texas.

April is MODern Month in Houston & Texas! 2015 Events

Houston Mod established MODern Month in April 2010 to bring attention to the importance of protecting modern architecture and design in Houston and Texas. In 2011 Preservation Texas expanded the program to a state-wide focus. Celebrate MOD Month by joining your fellow modsters at these great events.

Tour Three Modern Houses March 1, 2015 Seeking New Preservation Minded Owners

March Mod of the Month

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, March 1, 2015 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM.

Three vintage modern style houses from the 1960`s and 1970`s are featured. They are located about five and ten miles southwest of downtown Houston. All are in need of new preservation-minded owners.

4919 Heatherglen Drive, Meyerland, Houston, Texas 77096

Alan Finger commissioned architect Arthur Steinberg to design this house for his young family in 1959. By 1961 it was complete and the family moved in as Hurricane Carla approached. In 1974, Finger had architect David Foster enlarge the house by adding more living area and a new master bedroom suite. Today that configuration remains providing high ceilings and abundant glass walls viewing the back terrace and swimming pool.

5123 S. Braeswood Boulevard, Meyerland, Houston, Texas 77096

Al Fairfield custom designed and built this spacious one owner modern house in 1964, situated on a large lot on South Braeswood Boulevard. Fairfield was a life-long friend of architect William Floyd and built many houses in the Memorial area of Houston including residences for Floyd and two for architect Bill Caudill. The house has impressive living areas overlooking a large swimming pool and patios.

3006 Suffolk Drive, Lynn Park, Houston, Texas 77027

This flat-roofed modern house, built in 1970, is being marketed for lot value only however the design seems to indicate it may be worthy of considering for restoration. The photos show a handsome interior consisting of terrazzo floors and brick interior walls. It also has a swimming pool and convenient close-in location. The original floor plans are thought to be available.

Please join us at the Houston Mod Discussion Forum for photos and more information about this event.

Upcoming Events

April is Modern Month in Houston and Texas! Join us to kick of the celebrations on Thursday, April 2nd from 6 to 8 PM for an After Work Reception at Internum 3303 Kirby Drive, Houston, Texas, 77098. Internum is generously underwriting the event. Wine and light hors d`oeuvres will be provided.

Modern Townhouse by Burdette Keeland is January 2015 Mod of the Month

January Mod of the Month

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, January 25, 2015 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM.

A vintage 1970s modern style townhouse situated three miles southwest of downtown Houston is featured. The townhouse is in need of new preservation-minded owners. Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

2907 Virginia Street, College Heights, Houston, Texas 77098

Burdette Keeland designed these architecturally significant `ski-slope roof` townhouses in 1974. The complex was a design-build project on land Keeland`s mother owned. 2907 Virginia has been thoughtfully maintained in nearly original condition by its long-term owner who was a friend of Keeland and had the unit furnished in vintage modern pieces.

The ground floor entrance from the double carport leads to the kitchen, dining room, and one bedroom, all with a bright indoor-outdoor flow to the rear patio space. The main entrance is on the second level into the living space with soaring vaulted ceilings. This level also has a study and connects to a street-side roof garden. The master bedroom suite is on the top level with abundant natural light and a connection to the rear exterior stairway leading to an elevated viewing deck.

Burdette Keeland (1926-2000) designed some of Houston`s most beloved modern buildings. Click the MODERN IN HOUSTON tab above to see featured work by Keeland on the HM website. From the Mod of the Month, you can walk one block west and see Keeland`s own residence located at 2907 Ferndale Street.

Keeland had architecture degrees from the University of Houston and Yale. He shaped Houston by teaching at the UH College of Architecture for over 40 years and serving on the city planning commission for over 30 years.

Discuss this house and over 800 other mod topics at the Houston Mod Discussion Forum at HAIF (Houston Architecture Information Forum).

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org

Houston Mod publications make excellent gifts and will be sold at Sunday`s event.

Tour the December Mod of the Month Sunday- An Outstanding 1951 Design by MacKie & Kamrath

Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, December 7, 2014 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM.

A vintage 1950`s modern/contemporary style house situated just east of Hermann Park and two miles south of downtown Houston is featured. The house is in need of new preservation-minded owners. Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

3226 North MacGregor Way, North MacGregor Oaks, Houston, Texas 77004

The nationally acclaimed architecture firm of MacKie & Kamrath designed this one and two story house in 1951, about five years after principal designer Karl Kamrath developed a firindship with Frank Lloyd Wright who`s concepts greatly influenced his work. Contrasting horizontal and vertical elements of the design are reinforced with bands of ribbon windows and a dramatic double volume corner window siding the open tread stairs. The house is prominately situated on an almost half acre corner near a picturesque bend in Brays Bayou where recent landscaped trails connect to Hermann Park.

The firm of MacKie & Kamrath was established in Houston in 1937 by Frederick MacKie, Jr. (1905-1984) and Karl Kamrath (1911-1988) ,both architects and graduates of the University of Texas. They were among the first Houston architects to design modernist buildings. Visit Houston Mod`s list for examples of their work.

Discuss this house and over 800 other mod topics at the Houston Mod Discussion Forum. (link- http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/forum/36-houston-mod/ )

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org

Houston Mod publications make excellent gifts and will be sold at Sunday`s event.

Tour Two Outstanding Modern Houses November 16, 2014, 2-4 PM

Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, November 16, 2014 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM.

Two vintage 1950`s & 1960`s modern/contemporary style houses situated about 10 miles west of downtown Houston are featured. One is in need of new preservation-minded owners. Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

12803 Figaro Drive, Memorial Bend, Houston, TX 77024

Architect William Floyd designed this house situated on a wooded corner lot on the eastern side of the Memorial Bend neighborhood. A 1958 promotion described the house as an out of this world California contemporary like those found in House Beautiful magazine. High clerestory windows and sloping beamed ceilings create open rooms filled with light. The house was enlarged in 1999 and in 2004.

Memorial Bend has one of the largest concentrations of 1950`s modern houses in Houston. It has been extensively researched and documented by Houston Mod Master Mod and co-founder Michael Brichford.

411 Fall River Road, Longwoods, Houston, TX 77024

Beginning in 1952, Houston`s Contemporary Art Museum (originally the Contemporary Arts Association) promoted excellence in modern architectural design by conducting tours of outstanding new houses. Architect Travis Broesche was honored by having this house included on their 1961 tour. The house remains a favorite of many today explaining its recent rapid sale with many offers received. The new owner plans to restore the house to its original appearance and is pleased to share it for tour, likely for the first time since 1961.

Travis Broesche (1911-2003) was from the Brenham, Texas area where he retired after working 40 years in Houston mostly with the firm known as Broesche & Condon. He was a graduate of Blinn College and the University of Texas, Austin, in 1935 with a B. S. degree in Architectural Engineering. His firm designed over 150 churches plus hospitals, schools, including his 1962 award winning design for Walnut Bend Elementary (demolished), as well as commercial buildings and residences.

Rugged Riverside Media invites all to a free screening of the award winning short film Last Seat At The Dome by local filmmaker, Matthew Murphy. Following the screening Murphy will be joined by Judge Ed Emmett, Beth Wiedower (National Trust for Historic Preservation) and David Bush (Preservation Houston) to field questions about the film and the Astrodome`s Past, Present, & Future. Tickets: Reserve free seats.

Preservation Texas is hosting their annual celebration of outstanding preservation achievements at the recently restored 1910 Harris County Courthouse. Awards will honor statewide restoration and rehabilitation projects and exemplary preservationists. A reception will precede the ceremony. Tickets: $40 for Preservation Texas Members; $50 for non-members.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org

Houston Mod publications will be sold at Sunday`s event. We hope to see you Sunday at Mod of the Month!

Houston MODern Market October 24-26, 2014

Houston Modern Market is the largest cultural celebration of `modern` in Texas. A week full of lectures, films, parties, tours, and an all modern market for fine art, furniture, jewelry, objects, design, architecture, clothing and more. Exhibitors will showcase their best modern wares and offer deals of the century. Put on your best mod chic for the Preview Party with libations, lite bites, live entertainment, and a first chance to buy modern goods. October 22-29, at Winter Street Studios, 2101 Winter Street.

FRIDAY, OCT 24: 6pm-10pm Houston Modern Market Preview Party Sponsored by Lynn Goode Vintage Winter Street Studios, 2101 Winter Street, Houston TX 77007 Houston Modern Market and Lynn Goode Vintage know how to throw a PARTY! Put on your best mod chic and enjoy libations, lite bites, live entertainment, socializing, and first chance at shopping the modern treasures before the market opens. ($50 three day market pass)

FRIDAY, SAT, & SUN Aluminum Is Beautiful, Utility Objects 1930-1970 An exhibition curated by Don Browne The twentieth century ushered in the industrial age, the aircraft age and later the space age. In this period of mass production, aluminum was a material with driving force. The rapidly rising use of aluminum in industry spawned the production of countless utilitarian designs that introduced the material to everyday living. This rare exhibit, curated by Don Browne, explores through objects and industry photographs the way aluminum contributed to the quality of life.

Don Browne is a well-known longtime collector, design historian, and dealer of twentieth century decorative art and design. His early specialization in mid-century modern and a growing public interest in the period has led to occasions to produce a series of exhibitions featuring pieces he has selected from his collections.

11am LECTURE: From Tourist Court to 3rd Coast Eden: The Galveston Jack Tar Guy W. Carwile, Ken Hollis Endowed Professor, Louisiana Tech University School of Design Guy W. Carwile’s research interests include roadside architecture, vernacular architecture of Louisiana, and early modern architecture of Shreveport. In addition to required architecture courses, he also teaches a survey course on the Architecture of Louisiana as well as courses on HABS Documentation. He is currently co-authoring a book with Dr. Karen Kingsley on the Architectural Works of Samuel G. and William B. Wiener – architects of modern Shreveport. His research interest in the Galveston Jack Tar began in 2007 and continues to the present. (free with Market admission)

1pm LECTURE: Modernist Silver Design in American Silver: Highlights from the Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Marissa Hershon, Museum of Fine Arts Houston Coinciding with the exhibition, Silver: An American Art, Selections from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (on view through February 15, 2015), Marissa Hershon will discuss works by individual silversmiths, including Peer Smed, William G. de Matteo and Maria Regnier, and the role each played within the development of modernist design in America. Marissa Hershon is Curatorial Assistant for modern and contemporary decorative arts and design at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She recently co-authored Silver: An American Art, The Milo M. Naeve Collection of American Silver at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (free with Market admission)

11am LECTURE- Now is the Time: Preservation and Landmark Status for Mid Century Modern Properties A case study presentation by Houston Mod focusing on the preservation of the Style in Steel townhouses (free with Market admission)

1pm LECTURE and Book Signing: The Astrodome: Building an American Spectacle James Gast, Author Published in July, 2014, The Astrodome: Building an American Spectacle is the story of the people, technology, and times that built the biggest room in the world. The book, recently excerpted in the Houston Chronicle, is the first in-depth look at the design and construction of the Astrodome, highlighting the people who participated and the unprecedented solutions they developed for problems that had not previously existed. The book chronicles an extraordinary achievement in extraordinary times, and its lasting technological and cultural influence. James Gast is a registered architect, specializing in large-scale transportation and infrastructure projects. (free with Market admission)

This illustrated lecture will survey the history of modern architecture in Texas during the twentieth century. Refreshments will begin at 6:30 PM. Special thanks to AIA- Houston for hosting this free event. Parking is available across the street from ArCH at the Hobby Center Garage.

The event is organized by Houston MODern Market which benefits the non-profit preservation group Houston Mod and marks the kick off of the 2014 Houston MODern Market.

Visit HoustonMODernMarket.com for details of this week`s activities which include lectures, mod shopping, opening party, exhibition, car show, architecture tours, and much more MODness!

Endangered 1957 Mod is September 28th Mod of the Month

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, September 28, 2014 for a Mod of the Month event from 2 - 4 PM.

Help us find a new preservation-minded owner for this endangered dramatic 1950`s modern / contemporary style house situated 8 miles southwest of downtown.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. The next MODern Market will be held October 20-26, 2014.

Location: 9110 Bassoon Drive Woodshire, Houston, TX 77025

This dramatic house was custom designed and built for Joseph T. Finkelstein, co-founder and former president of the Alley Theater. Finkelstein was an actor in New York and Houston and commissioned architects Dunaway & Jones to model portions of this 1957 house after stage sets he admired.

The living area has a high-sweeping beamed ceiling terminating in a second level loft space accessed by an open-riser stairway with landing on the elevated hearth. A brick fireplace flanked by double-height plate glass windows commands the longest wall of the room. Entertaining is made swanky yet casual with the kitchen and dining areas flowing freely into the living space. The kitchen is mostly original with the addition of a full sized Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer.

This ultimate bachelor pad has only one bedroom (but has plenty of room to add more if necessary as the lot is almost 1/3 acre in size). The master bath is impressive for its time, approximately 256 SF, and contains the original sunken tub, double shower, portioned commode and urinal, plus a large mirrored corner hair and makeup station. A private sun terrace is accessed by a sliding glass door flanked by plate glass windows separating two indoor/outdoor planter boxes melding inside and outside.

The grounds were handsomely developed with walkways and plantings from the period. A large vintage swimming pool and terrace can once again be the scene for memorable entertaining.

Note: The event will provide full access to the exterior areas. The house interior can be viewed only through the windows. Interior tours can be scheduled with the agent.

Upcoming Events Downtown Modern Walking Tour: Houston Mod and Preservation Houston invite you to examine the historic layers, styles and technologies of Houston`s skyline built between 1940 and 1980. The event is part of Docomomo US Tour Day, a nationwide celebration of mid-20th century architecture. October 12, 2PM. Advance tickets are required.

Houston Modern Market: A Texas-sized weekend full of lectures, films, parties, tours, and a market showcase of modern fine art, furniture, jewelry, objects, design, architecture, clothing and more. Exhibitors will offer deals of the century on their best modern wares. The evening of October 24, put on your best mod chic for the Preview Party with libations, lite bites, and live entertainment. October 22-26 at Winter Street Studios.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org

Houston Mod publications will be sold at Sunday`s event.

We hope to see you Sunday at Mod of the Month!

Walking Tour of Downtown Houston`s MOD Highlights: October 12, 2014 for DoCoMoMo National Tour Day

Houston Mod and Preservation Houston invite you to join us for a reprise of the special downtown walking tour offered during the DoCoMoMo US National Symposium in the spring. The tour weaves through the heart of Houston`s business district, showcasing the historic layers of the city`s iconic skyline. Stops include internationally recognized works by I.M. Pei, Philip Johnson and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill as well as surprising mid-century gems from local architects. Afterward, join us for an optional visit to one of Houston`s favorite watering holes for conversation and drinks.

Date: Sunday, 10/12/14

Time: 2:00 PM

Cost: $8.50 for DoCoMoMo US, Houston MOD, and Preservation Houston members/$11.50 for general public

Registration: Space is limited on this tour and reservations are required. Visit http://downtownmod.eventbrite.com to book your ticket.

The original design intentions of this attractive 1950s contemporary style house continue to shine through, making it a great house for today and tomorrow. A number of talented architects including William Floyd, Harwood Taylor, William Jenkins and Lucian Hood designed houses in this neighborhood. It is not known who designed this house.

Situated on a spacious tree shaded corner lot, the architect-owned house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two car carport. The living room features a tall sloped ceiling, long unpainted brick wall, hardwood flooring and a glass sliding door leading to the patio and back yard.

Mod Art Exhibition: The Mayor`s Office, in conjunction with William Reaves Fine Art, brings a splendid selection of art works by many of Houston`s earlier painters (including mid-century modern favorites) to the walls of City Hall thru October 1, 2014 with special reception, tour and talk on Texas Modernism, September 17, 5 - 7:30 PM. Details

Mod Walking Tour: Save the date of October 12, 2 PM, for a tour of downtown Houston to be held in conjunction with the 2014 DoCoMoMo National Tour Day. Details

Astrodome: Harris County commissioners want to hear from you about the Astrodome. Please send your ideas and comments for new uses for the building by letter and email.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org

Krakower Mod Open Sunday, July 13, 2014, 3-5 PM

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, July 13, for a Mod of the Month open house event from 3 - 5 PM.

Help us find a new preservation minded owner for this important 1950s modern/contemporary style house, situated near the Houston Medical Center, southwest of downtown Houston.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. The next MODern Market will be held October 20-26, 2014.

Location: 3615 N. Braeswood Blvd. Braes Heights, Houston, TX 77025

Noted architect Joseph Krakower and his designer Herb Greene designed this house for the Salzman family in 1957. It`s listing in the Houston AIA Architecture Guide states, `Herb Green`s hand is evident in this low-slung Braes Heights house, especially in the vertical slot windows that take the place of corners and the tense profile of the hipped roof.` The house features large free flowing formal living and dining rooms along with a den, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, plus a two-car attached garage, all still lovingly cared for by it`s original owner. The original set of blueprints will be on display.

Joseph David Krakower was born in Houston in 1921 and graduated from Rice Institute in 1942 with a BA and in 1943 with a BS in Architecture. He then attended USC where he continued his architectural education and received a Masters in Architecture degree in 1947. He worked for Robert Kerrah and Lenard Gabert before starting his own firm in 1949. Herb Greene was Krakower`s designer from 1954 - 1958. He studied under Bruce Goff in Oklahoma. Another example of their work is next door at 3611 plus another house by Krakower is around the corner at 3506 Glen Arbor. Parking is available on Glen Arbor as well as Edloe and Tartan streets where a number of striking mid-century modern houses remain.

Upcoming Events

Astrodome: Harris County commissioners want to hear from you about the Astrodome. Please send your ideas and comments for new uses for the building by letter and email.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org

Houston Mod publications and vintage Astrodome bumper stickers will be sold at Sunday`s event.

Tour Three Mods at the June 8th Mod of the Month in Glenbrook Valley and Meadowcreek Village

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, June 8, 2014 for our award winning Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM.

Three vintage modern/contemporary style houses, situated southeast of downtown Houston are featured. They are all in need of new preservation-minded owners.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. The next MODern Market will be held October 20 - 26, 2014. Special opportunity Sunday- MODern Market dealers Karen of Mod Pod and Don Browne will be displaying some of their latest finds! Get a sneak peak and early opportunity at what`s to come this fall at MODern Market.

This spacious 1960`s modern house, restored for today and tomorrow, is perched high on a .8 acre sloping site enjoying sweeping views of Sim`s Bayou which gracefully traces it`s western property edge. A thorough renovation of the 5,800+ square foot house included replacement of much of the wood framing, installation of triple paned windows, spray insulation, deluxe media and smart-wired electronic equipment and Thermador appliances. The original curved steel staircase is the focal point of the entry and living areas. Elsewhere, there are four bedrooms, four full bathrooms and two half baths plus additional areas opening to the expansive patios overlooking the bayou.

Glenbrook Valley is Houston`s largest contiguous historic district and the state`s first and largest post WWII historic district. It was recently proclaimed a top pick by This Old House magazine, and named one of the hot neighborhoods of 2014 by Houstonia magazine. (Link GlenbrookValley.org) House not listed on HAR. Price $525,000.00

Poised on a gorgeous wooded lot in Meadowcreek`s premier section, this mid-century modern house is loaded with character and architectural details. The entry is impressive with double front doors and a natural flagstone planter. Gracious formals with folding doors open wide to join the huge den with a vaulted wood beamed ceiling that soars over a mock brick fireplace divider wall partially screening the spacious kitchen and breakfast area. Additional features include a private study, detached bonus space, vintage tile master bath with dual dressing areas and vanities, multiple closets and built ins plus storm windows.

Meadowcreek Village is a lovely naturally wooded neighborhood of beautiful houses and caring folks located east of IH- 45 and Glenbrook Valley. Development began in 1950 and proceeded thoughtfully through the 1970`s. The active civic club enforces the deed restrictions and encourages neighborhood improvement.

(Link: www.meadowcreekvillage.org)

Visit with MODern Market dealers Karen of Mod Pod and Don Browne at this location!

Here is a jewel of an early 1960`s mid-century modern/vintage contemporary house tucked away on a secluded street, on a large bayou lot shaded by mature Oak trees. Downtown Houston is only moments away. Great original details such as lighting fixtures, wood beams, and pristine original tile baths are breathtaking. The open floor plan lives larger than the actual square footage and full length windows bring in abundant natural light. The private backyard has expansive views of the naturalistic bayou setting.

News & Upcoming Events

Thanks to all who attended and sponsored DoCoMoMo US National Symposium in Houston. Modsters from across the country visited Houston to examine modernism`s legacy and consider its future.

Harris County commissioners want to hear from you about the Astrodome. Please send your ideas and comments for new uses for the building by letter and email.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please inquire at the event or e-mail info@houstonmod.org

Houston Mod publications and vintage Astrodome bumper stickers will be sold at Sunday`s event.

We hope to see you Sunday at Mod of the Month! More information and photos available at the Houston Mod discussion page at HAIF- Houston Architecture Information Forum: http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/30457-3-mod-houses-open-june-8-2014-sunday/

May 2014 Mod of the Month in Tanglewood- Join Us!

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, May 18, for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM.

Two vintage 1960`s modern/contemporary style houses, situated west of downtown Houston are featured. They are both in need of new preservation-minded owners.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. The next MODern Market will be held October 20 - 26, 2014.

553 Brown Saddle St., Tanglewood, Houston, Texas 77057

HAR LINK http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cfm?mlnum=19054623

The nationally recognized architecture firm of George Pierce - Abel B. Pierce custom designed this sophisticated modern house in the early 1960`s. Interior spaces are organized around a courtyard which provides an almost seamless indoor/outdoor flow to the main living areas yet maintains privacy from the street. Rooms are spacious including four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms where handsome custom cabinetry is integral. Pierce and Pierce`s own houses were of similar design and located in the general area.

George F. Pierce was from Dallas, Texas, a graduate of SMU and Rice (1943), and taught architecture at Rice. Abel B. Pierce (no relation to George) was from Blessing, Texas and a descendent of Jonathan and brother Shanghai Pierce, cattle barons and founders of Rancho Grande, once over 250,000 acres near Bay City. Abel Pierce was a 1930 graduate of Rice Institute. The Pierce - Pierce firm was founded in 1948.

6101 & 6103 San Felipe St., Westhaven Estates, Houston, Texas 77057

HAR LINK http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cfm?mlnum=64857294

Contrasting architectural elements similar to those found in the Barcelona Pavilion are incorporated in this handsome duplex located west of Houston`s Galleria. A dominate horizontal is established by a hovering concrete roof plane supported by thin columns in places and massive brick walls in others. Sliding glass walls and windows extend truly from the white terrazzo floor to the ceiling while interior walls and door frames are articulated with reveals. Each unit has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a swimming pool in a landscaped courtyard.

While research continues, we attribute the design to architect William S. Tamminga, partner of the Houston firm O`Neil Ford and Associates along with Ford and Richard Colley of 1953-1956. Tamminga was a graduate of Rice Institute and later taught architecture there according to his son, also an architect. The Youtz-Slick Lift-Slab construction method, seldom seen in residential construction, was used on this duplex. After the foundation was poured, a second steel reinforced slab was poured and hydraulically elevated on columns to become the roof plane. The original buildings of Trinity University were built using this method. Tamminga went on to design and oversee the construction of the Texas Instruments facility in Houston as well as a lift-slab house for Errol Flynn in Jamaica and Frenchman`s Cove resort in the Caribbean which also featured a lift-slab.

News & Upcoming Events

Harris County commissioners want to hear from you about the Astrodome. Please send your ideas and comments for new uses for the building by letter and email.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org

Houston Mod publications and vintage Astrodome bumper stickers will be available at Sunday`s event.

Harwood Taylor`s Daring Mod Bridge House Open April 13, 2014, 2-4 PM

Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, April 13, for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM.

Let`s help find a new preservation-minded owner for this vintage 1950`s modern style house situated west of downtown Houston in the Memorial villages area.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. The next MODern Market will be held October 20 - 26, 2014.

Architect Harwood Taylor, of the firm Neuhaus & Taylor, designed this house for the Lomis and Marcia Slaughter family for a topographically challenging site at the north end of Kuhlman Road. Completed in 1957, the house bridges a ravine originating in the center of the front yard, widening and deepening under the front stairs toward the expansive naturalistic sloped rear side of the nearly acre sized property. Floor to ceiling walls of glass view the setting from every major room. Steel I- beams compose a system of exposed columns while steel bar joists, some exposed, support the flat roof.

The Houston Mod publication Booming Houston and the Modern House- Residential Architecture of Neuhaus & Taylor, 1955- 1960 thoroughly describes Houston`s architectural scene at the time this house was designed plus a number of other designs by Harwood Taylor.

On Sunday, please park in the cul-de-sac at the north end of Kuhlman Road and walk down the private lane to the house. There are three parking spaces at the house reserved for folks requiring less walking.

News & Upcoming Events

April is MODern Month in Houston and Texas. This year`s list of events can be found at the Houston Mod website. After Mod of the Month, the next two events are:

Astrodome: Harris County commissioners want to hear from you about the Astrodome. Please send your ideas and comments for new uses for the building by letter and email.

Thanks to all who attended and sponsored last month`s DoCoMoMo US National Symposium in Houston. Modsters from across the country visited Houston to examine modernism`s legacy and consider its future.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org

Houston Mod publications and vintage Astrodome bumper stickers will be sold at Sunday`s event. We hope to see you Sunday for Mod of the Month.

Tour two 1950`s modern houses March 23, 2014, 2-4 PM

Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, March 23, 2 - 4 PM, for a Mod of the Month open house event.

Two vintage 1950`s modern/contemporary style houses, situated southwest of downtown Houston are featured. They are in need of new preservation-minded owners.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. The next MODern Market will be held in the Fall of 2014.

4520 Oleander Street, Cranford Place, Bellaire, Texas 77401

HAR LINK none- (This house is being sold by owner and may already be option pending.)

Architect William Jenkins, associate of the firm William N. Floyd Associates (possibly assisted by Harwood Taylor) designed and built this beautiful modern house in 1952 for Arthur and Hannah Ginzbarg on a large lot in the City of Bellaire. Mrs. Ginzbarg has recently died. Her son who lives out of state is looking for a new owner for the house who will promise to preserve it.

The house was cherished by the family and thoughtfully maintained in original condition in hopes it would someday attract an appreciative next owner. It has a compact and efficient design incorporating many fine details such as walls of floor to ceiling operable windows, blueprint matched wood cabinet walls, built-in TV and hi-fi system, built in clock, cork flooring and a tectum ceiling. Next door and two doors down, to the East, Jenkins and Taylor built two similar houses which have been demolished and replaced with enormous houses.

More information about this house can be found in the Houston Mod publication High Style in the Suburbs- The Early Modern Houses of William R. Jenkins, 1951 - 1958

Rob and Laura Petrie of the 1960`s Dick Van Dyke television program would be right at home in this still authentic house built for the 1959 Parade of Homes in the Westbury neighborhood. Architect Jack W. Knostman, of the firm Knostman & Webster, designed the house as well as two others for the `59 Parade plus oversaw the architectural control committee that year. He was a 1936 graduate of Rice Institute.

The house features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and large open living, dining and kitchen areas as well as many unique features incorporated in response to surveys of thousands of potential home buyers from the previous year`s event. The house was included in Art & Architecture magazine. The original promotional material states, A gay informal note is struck by the Hawaiian lanai entrances which are located on each side of the house behind the carports (now enclosed). The housewife hasn`t been left out. Her paradise is a beautiful kitchen of inspired design...which remains in near mint condition.

News & Upcoming Events

Thanks to all who attended and donated to the successful DoCoMoMo US National Symposium in Houston. Modsters from across the country visited Houston last week to examine modernism`s legacy and consider its future.

April is MODern Month in Houston and Texas. This year`s roster of events will be issued soon. Visit the Preservation Texas website for more information.

Astrodome: Harris County commissioners want to hear from you about the Astrodome. Please send your ideas and comments for new uses for the building by letter and email.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org

Houston Mod publications and vintage Astrodome bumper stickers will be sold at Sunday`s event.

Two Mod Open Houses for MOD OF THE MONTH, Feb 23, 2014

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, February 23, for Mod of the Month from 2 - 4 PM.

Two vintage 1950`s modern/contemporary style houses, situated in the prime Post Oak/Galleria area of near west Houston, are featured as February`s Mod of the Month. They are both presently available for purchase and in need of a new preservation-minded owners.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. Next MODern Market: May 13 - 18, 2014

210 Pine Hollow, Houston TX 77056 Pine Hollow, Section 2

HAR LINK http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cfm?MLNUM=76530745

Pine Hollow is a secluded lane lined with some of Houston`s most significant mid-twentieth-century modern houses. Architects represented there include Harwood Taylor (275), William Jenkins (218), Preston Bolton (266), Wilson, Morris & Crain (250) and William Floyd (266). In 1957, Herbert H. Ulbricht of the firm Nunn, Nunn, & Ulbricht designed the fantastic contemporary house at 210 Pine Hollow to take advantage of the picturesque acre-plus wooded bayou setting by opening all major rooms with glass walls viewing the naturalistic setting. Even with all the openess, there is still room for an extensive art collection. The maticously maintained house has five bedrooms and four and one half baths. Rooms have high ceilings and many open to the five porches. This house was designed for William B. Bates, a successful lawyer and Chairman of the Board of Bank of the Southwest.

Herbert H. Ulbricht was born in Lockhart in 1923 and graduated from the University of Texas in 1949. He became a registered architect in Texas in 1952. He was a partner of Stayton Nunn and his son, Stayton Nunn, Jr., from 1957-1960. He is married to Stayton Nunn`s daughter, Martha. In 1960 he opened his own firm where he designed Anson Jones Elementary School (1967), Long Point National Bank (1967), and Northwest Savings Building (1969). He and his wife designed their own house located at 5239 Loch Lomond in Meyerland. Mr. Ulbricht is in the process of sending Houston Mod more information about his career.

This super-swank mod, located two blocks from Houston`s Galleria, was designed in 1956 by architect Hugh Gragg and has only had one owner. It has large and flowing spaces still detailed with the most appreciated materials and styles of the 1950`s. The living room and den each have a fireplace wall plus there is an additional living area connecting the two rooms. There are four bedrooms and two and a half bath rooms. The back of the house is lined with glass walls shaded by extremely wide cantilevered roof overhangs. Landscape architects Bishop and Walker designed the grounds in 1957 including a handsome large swimming pool, coordinated canted planter boxes, and incorporated a wide array of interesting plantings.

Architect Hugh E. Gragg (1920-2006) was a graduate of Rice Institute where he received a B.A. degree in 1941, a B.S. degree in Architecture in 1942, and an M.A. degree in 1947. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was released to inactive duty in 1946. He worked as an architect for two years in the offices of Wilson, Morris, and Crain and for two additional years in the offices of Stayton Nunn-Milton McGinty. From 1951 until 1953, he served as assistant professor of architecture at the University of Texas in Austin. In 1954 he returned to Houston and opened his own office. In 1948, he married Annette Gano, a Rice alumna and architect with whom he practiced until his retirement. He and his wife worked alone; they were proud of having no employees. Mrs. Gragg was an heir of the Howard Hughes estate.

Hugh Gragg was the architect for nine elementary schools in the Houston Independent School District and for schools in the Cypress Fairbanks and Spring Branch school districts. He was the architect for Clarewood House and the Florence Crittenton Services building in Houston and for Columbus Community Hospital in Columbus. He was also the architect for numerous office buildings and private residences. Everything he undertook was done with seriousness of purpose; even the smallest detail received careful attention.

Upcoming Events

Houston Mod will host the second annual DoCoMoMo, US National Symposium in Houston March 13 - 15, 2014. Modsters from across the country are invited to convene in Houston to examine modernism`s legacy and consider its future.

Astrodome: Harris County commissioners want to hear from you about the Astrodome. Please send your ideas and comments for new uses for the building by letter and email.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org

Houston Mod publications and vintage Astrodome bumper stickers will be sold at Sunday`s event.

Docomomo Architecture & Design Symposium Comes to Houston!

Join Houston Mod this March for the second annual Docomomo US National Symposium here in Houston.

Early registration is now available for what will be a lively and surprising context for the examination of modernism`s legacy, and consideration of its future, in Houston and in Texas. We are pleased to announce the main symposium events and presentation will take place at the University of St. Thomas, which was designed by Philip Johnson in 1958. Additional information, including tours and presentations, is forthcoming.

Houston Mod hopes you will join us to share knowledge, experience, and advance preservation of modern architecture intellectually and professionally.

November Mod of the Month

Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, November 24, for Mod of the Month, 2 - 4 PM

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. Next MODern Market: February 3 - 9, 2014

A vintage modern/contemporary style townhouse, situated 3 miles west of downtown Houston along picturesque Memorial Drive, is featured as November`s Mod of the Month. The Hillside unit is presently available for purchase and in need of a new preservation-minded owner.

Hillside Townhomes 5230 Memorial Drive Houston, Texas 77007

This spacious two bedroom, two bathroom, circa 1960 mod townhouse is supremely situated directly across Buffalo Bayou from River Oaks` Tiel Way enclave of modernism and only a few blocks east of the beautiful 1,500 acre Memorial Park. It`s also convenient to the Galleria, Heights, and Washington Avenue areas. Herbert William Linnstaedter of the firm Swenson & Linnstaedter designed, built, and originally owned the complex. Considered extremely fashionable and exceptional in design when completed, the details include wood beamed sloped ceilings, brick interior walls, copper-trimmed fire places, and specially detailed windows. The terraced grounds are beautifully landscaped and include a sparkling swimming pool.

Herbert William Linnstaedter (1925-1996) was a native Texan who, as a teen, fought with the 99th infantry division at the Battle of the Bulge. He then graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in architecture and further studied at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He was certified as an architect in Texas in 1957 and was an assistant professor of architecture at the University of Houston. He was married to Celestine Linnstaedter who was a doctor of psychiatry at the VA Hospital. Swenson & Linnstaedter shared an office with Donald Barthelme where a number of Houston`s most modern buildings were designed. In 1960 the firm opened a branch office in Dallas, Texas.

SAVE THE ASTRODOME Vote Yes on Prop. 2, Tuesday, November 5th, 2013

Houston Mod and the Save The Dome Coalition respectfully ask for your support in the passage of Proposition 2. On Election Day this November 5th, the fate of OUR ASTRODOME will be in the hands of the citizens of Harris County.

OUR ASTRODOME is an architectural marvel and a symbol of Houston`s ingenuity. Its construction thrust Houston into the global spotlight. Over the years, OUR ASTRODOME hosted significant events and attracted millions of visitors to Houston. Houston Mod supports this opportunity to once again show the world what our community is capable of and ensure this internationally recognized icon will be saved for future generations.

Proposition 2 will authorize the sale of $217 million in bonds to create a special events and exhibition facility, while preserving the structure and the spatial experience of the Dome. If approved, Proposition 2 would raise taxes by $8 for a typical $200,000 home.

We encourage you to follow the links below to learn more facts about the economic and cultural impacts of the New Dome Experience.

The preservation coalition working to save OUR ASTRODOME is comprised of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Houston, Houston Mod, American Institute of Architects (AIA) - Houston, Houston Arts and Media, and Docomomo US.

2013 DoCoMoMo National Tour Day October 5, 2013 at Sylvan Beach

Join Houston Mod for the 2013 DoCoMoMo National Tour Day

Enjoy a special sneak-preview tour of the restored Sylvan Beach Pavilion on the beach in La Porte. The pavilion is a rare and significant example of a shore-side recreational structure from the modern movement.

When: Saturday, October 5, 2013 Private tour starts at 1PM

Where: 1 Sylvan Beach Drive, La Porte, TX

Details: Refreshments will be served. $5 suggested donation.

Butler House by Barnstone & Aubry

Barnstone & Aubry`s Butler House Featured as Mod of the Month Sunday, September 15, 2013- Join us in Richmond

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, September 15, for Mod of the Month from 2 - 4 PM.

This is a special opportunity to study a house by the noted architects Howard Barnstone and Gene Aubry. The house is in need of new preservation-minded owners.

Richmond`s Jane Long neighborhood is located 22 miles southwest of the Galleria on Highway 59/69 near Grand Parkway.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

109 Hillcrest Drive, Richmond, Texas 77469 Jane Long Addition

Howard Barnstone and Eugene Aubry designed this outstanding modern house situated on over 3 rolling acres in the beautiful Jane Long addition of Richmond, Texas for the Butler family.

A long curving drive terminates in a gated circle at the entrance to the expansive four bedroom house built in the mid 1960`s. Architectural historian Stephen Fox reports the house originally had a flat roof. The house is meticulously detailed with carefully proportioned rooms, walls of glass, fireplaces, floor to ceiling doors and abundant storage. C. C. `Pat` Fleming was the landscape architect.

Mod of the Month in Lake Jackson

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, August 25, for Mod of the Month from 2-4 PM.

Three fantastic mid-century modern houses in the new town of Lake Jackson will be open for touring. All seek new preservation-minded owners. Lake Jackson is located 48 miles south of the Astrodome on Highway 288. Special thanks to Marty Merritt, organizer of the 2012 Lake Jackson tour, for researching this event.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

518 Circle Way Lake Jackson, Texas 77566

Architect Ernest L. Shult designed this stylish mostly flat roofed contemporary style house for Russell and Bernice Gibbs about 1951. The expansive house, situated on almost an acre of land along Oyster Creek, features large rooms and abundant storage. The living room has a sloped ceiling with clearstory windows and a handsome accent wall containing a fireplace with special brick design and built-in blonde-tone wood cabinets and bookcase. There are four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Ernest L .Shult was a 1923 graduate of Rice Institute and became a registered architect in Texas in 1938. He worked in Houston for the well known architect Alfred C. Finn and later opened his own office.

530 Circle Way Lake Jackson, Texas 77566

The free flow of indoor and outdoor spaces sets the theme for this unique house designed by architect Allen R. Williams, Jr. for John and Grace Keselik. It is designed to allow expansive views of the large shaded creek-front site. The details are amazing. Exquisite redwood panels the living area while the kitchen has been thoughtfully composed with extensive counter and storage space. Openness abounds with the high ceilings and abundant windows. There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms plus a game room and screened porch. Allen Williams was a 1946 graduate of the University of Texas and became an architect in Texas in 1946. He worked briefly for John F. Staub then established his own office in Houston where he practiced for the rest of his career.

530 Oak Drive Lake Jackson, Texas 77566

Here is yet another creek-front mid-century modern house in beautiful Lake Jackson. High sloped ceilings, skylights and plate glass walls open and brighten this free flowing four bedroom house situated on almost an acre of land. The open concept living and kitchen areas are designed for entertaining. The original owner has been contacted and hopes to provide the history and original plans for the house including the architect`s name.

Deal Street Mod of the Month

Mod of the Month, July 28, 2013 at 3506 Deal Street in Braes Terrace, 3-5 PM

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, July 28, for Mod of the Month from 3-5 PM.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

3506 Deal Street, Braes Terrace, Section 2, 77025

This early 1950`s flat roofed contemporary is located near the center of the city, especially convenient to the Medical Center, Hermann Park, and Astrodome areas and only a half mile to the Braes Bayou exercise trail. Many of the original mid-century details remain in nice condition such as wood paneling and handsome built-ins in the den plus the fantastic kitchen with built-in glass front china display and vintage laminate countertops. There are four bedrooms and two full baths in this bright and open plan with many windows and walls of glass viewing the beautiful tree shaded landscape. Come see the potential in this well situated mod.

Charles Tapley is a 1955 graduate of Rice University and became a registered architect in Texas in 1960 and a registered landscape architect in 1970. He founded Tapley & Associates in 1960 where he has designed many signature landmarks in the Houston area such as Tranquility Park, the Contemporary Art Museum, a courtyard landscape at the Museum of Fine Arts, Buffalo Bayou parks and improvements, the Camp Allen Retreat, various churches, residences, as well as playgrounds and parks for the Texas Medical Center. He is an Adjunct Professor in Architecture at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture at the University of Houston. Tapley was elected to the AIA College of Fellows in 1979 for his outstanding contributions to the profession. In 2011 Tapley received the Houston AIA Lifetime Achievement Award.

This ultra-modern redesign by architect Tom Hurt, AIA was recently completed near Houston Country Club in the Tanglewood neighborhood. Portions of the original 1966 modern house remain including the original poured in place terrazzo floors which gleam in the expansive light-filled living space complete with built in seating and a modern fireplace. The master bedroom occupies it`s own wing with spacious dressing and bath areas. A guest room is also downstairs. Upstairs there are two additional bedrooms, a playroom and a secluded study. Every room features great natural light, interesting architectural angles, and sleek modern finishes.

Hurt Partners Architects is an architectural practice in Austin, Texas, headed by principal Tom Hurt, AIA. The firm’s built and ongoing work is known for its well-proportioned and dynamic forms and spaces as well as sensitive relationships to its site. Hurt Partners designs highly sustainable buildings- limiting building size by careful study of clients’ needs and reusing and readapting buildings and building materials where possible. Hurt received his education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Faculty fellow at Texas A&M University Ana Geva will present her book, Frank Lloyd Wright`s Sacred Architecture: Faith, Form and Building Technology, the first comprehensive study of Frank Lloyd Wright`s sacred architecture. A reception and book signing will follow the discussion.

BORDER MODERN: The Modern Architecture of the Texas-Mexico Border

This 1-1/2-hour illustrated talk will examine mid-twentieth-century modern architecture produced on both sides of the Texas-Tamaulipas border, spanning the 225 miles from Laredo-Nuevo Laredo downriver on the Río Grande to Brownsville-Matamoros and the Gulf of Mexico.

It will contrast the reception of modern architecture in the border cities of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas with the ways it was interpreted in the Lower Río Grande Valley of far south Texas to demonstrate how border modernism reflected national trends and national patterns of cultural transmission. This contrasted with the nineteenth century, when a regionally distinct architectural vernacular took form on both sides of the border.

The talk will highlight the careers of such outstanding border architects as John G. York and Alan Y. Taniguchi of Harlingen; Merle A. Simpson of Weslaco; David P. Ashcroft of McAllen; Bowman Swanson Hiester of Harlingen and Brownsville; and Ignacio López Bancalari, Luis MacGregor Krieger, and Sergio Paredes Rangel of Matamoros.

Additionally, it will focus on exemplary modern building projects by architects from outside the region: Richard Neutra of Los Angeles, Wiltshire & Fisher of Dallas, Caudill Rowlett Scott of Bryan and Houston, Kenneth E. Bentsen of Houston; and Mario Pani and Juan Sordo Madaleno of México City.

Houston Mod thanks Houston Modern Market and Architecture Center Houston for help in making this special event possible.

Confluence Theater, Marmon Mok Associates, 1968

HemisFair ’68 at Risk

Changes are planned for San Antonio’s world’s fair site, HemisFair ‘68, and they have fans of modern architecture concerned. Intended to celebrate the city’s 250-anniversary and a confluence of cultures, HemisFair ’68 was a six-month exposition opened by First Lady Ladybird Johnson in April 1968. Typical of a world’s fair, various states, nations, and corporations built new exhibition halls in the styles of the period, some of which are exceptional examples of modern architecture. Given San Antonio’s established preservation ethic, they also retained and repurposed some of the nineteenth century residential buildings already on the site before the rest of the neighborhood was sacrificed for fair construction. HemisFair ’68 attracted 6.3 million visitors but under-utilization since is now prompting redevelopment plans. A 2011 tour with Houston Mod and Mid-Tex Mod highlighted the current state. Learn more about about plans from DoCoMoMos update.

Houston Modern Market is April 19-21, 2013

April is MODern Month in Houston and Texas.

Houston Modern Market Week is the largest cultural celebration of “modern” in Texas. A week full of lectures, films, parties, tours, and of course, the market. Houston Modern Market with their best modern wares

Briargrove Park Mod of the Month Feb. 24, 2013

Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, February 24, for Mod of the Month, 2 to 4 PM.

Two vintage contemporary style houses in the Briargrove Park neighborhood will be featured. The houses are presently available for purchase and in need of new preservation-minded owners. Briargrove Park is an attractive wooded neighborhood in west Houston, located near Briar Forest and the Sam Houston toll road, about 4 miles west of the Galleria area.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

Troy Osborne of 5ifty 5ifty mod, modern design collector and dealer, will be on hand to display some of his recent finds.

The Space Age lives on happily in this contemporary style home built in 1963 by Paul J. McConnell, one of Houston`s most respected builders. Only occupied by the original owner who lavished the house with extreme care, you will not find hardly even a scratch on the almost all original interior. A swanky wide foyer with brick planters and terrazzo floor opens to the cathedral living and dining space with north views of the shaded front yard through a wall of soaring plate glass. The den is anchored by an unusually handsome brick fireplace wall and views the south lawn through another wall of plate glass. The kitchen has a Flair oven by Frigidaire with the marvelous glass swing-up door. The breakfast room and master bedroom can access the large covered patio through sliding glass doors. There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large utility room, and an attached two car garage.

Visit with Houston MODern Market dealer Troy Osborne at this location.

Architect Jay Carroll designed this clean-lined contemporary style house for the 1961 Parade of Homes where over 200,000 people toured the latest concepts of home design. The house was built by Maggie Plumb, one of Houston`s first woman homebuilders. To make her houses stand out from the crowd, Plumb rethought everything from a woman`s and family`s point of view. This house incorporates many unique ideas such as a central courtyard, living and dining rooms facing the rear patio and the den and kitchen in front. Most unusual, the three children`s bedrooms open to a central playroom with direct access to the back yard. Acclaimed Houston artist Margaret W. Dreyer originally decorated the house. The original concepts remain intact even though the house has been updated.

Upcoming Events

April is MODern Month in Texas!- a month long celebration of modernism in Texas. Events are being scheduled for every week including Houston MODern Market April 15 - 22. Visit HoustonMODernMarket.com for more information.

Mod of the Month Jan 27, 2013 Spring Branch, 2-4PM

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, January 27, for Mod of the Month from 2 PM to 4 PM.

Two vintage modern/contemporary style houses in the Spring Branch area will be featured. The houses are presently available for purchase and in need of new preservation-minded owners. Spring Branch is a beautiful mostly wooded area in west Houston, north of IH-10/Katy Freeway, only a few miles outside loop 610. This is a free event.

City meets country at this flat-roofed mid-century modern house located on an unusually large site only a few miles outside the loop. The rooms are well proportioned and materials deluxe. A handsome grid of windows is a focal point of the living area anchored by a massive brick fireplace wall. The kitchen is almost all original and features a brick accent wall and wood beams. There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Many vintage design elements remain intact in this contemporary ranch style house. Note the stylish front door and wall of tall windows in the living room. The den has a wood burning fireplace and tall sloped ceiling. There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a two-car attached garage. This house will be drive-by only on Sunday.

Upcoming Events

April 2013 is MODern Month in Texas!- a month long celebration of modernism in Texas. Events are being scheduled for every week including Houston MODern Market April 17 - 22. Visit HoustonMODernMarket.com for more information.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org

We hope to see you Sunday at Mod of the Month!

Norman Bel Geddes Designs America

Houston Mod Goes to Austin - Join Members for a Tour Event January 5

Join Houston Mod members for a road trip on Saturday, January 5, 2013.

We`re planning a fun day of events celebrating modernism in Austin.

We will visit the exhibit I Have Seen the Future: Norman Bel Geddes Designs America currently on view at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas in Austin.

Following will be tours of architectural highlights of the UT campus and nearby residential areas with noted architectural historian Stephen Fox as our guide.

Modsters from across the state will meet for this event. Drive yourself (or carpool with a fellow mod-enthusiast). Join a no-host lunch (optional) with the group prior to the tour.

Current members can participate by contacting Houston Mod for reservations and details by January 3, 2013.

Tour 4 Mod Open Houses Sunday, Dec 16, Glenbrook Valley Area, 2-4 PM

Four vintage contemporary/ranch style houses in the Glenbrook Valley area will be open for touring. The houses are presently available for purchase and in need of new preservation minded owners. They are all located close to Houston`s Hobby Airport, about 3 miles outside loop 610 in SE Houston. Three are in the Glenbrook Valley Historic District

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

Don Browne, modern design collector, researcher, and dealer will be on hand to display some of his recent finds.

This event is sponsored by Houston MODern Market. Click to learn more about April`s event and how to get involved.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org

Houston Mod board members will be available during Mod-of-the-Month to discuss how Houston Mod is advocating for the recent past on the local, state and national level, and discuss partnering with groups like Preservation Texas and DoCoMoMo US.

Houston Mod publications make wonderful gifts and will be available during the open house including: Building Modern Houston by Anna Mod, Houston Mod co-founder and advisor. http://www.houstonmod.org/publications.asp

MOD of the Month, September 23 - Foreclosure Needs a New Preservation Minded Owner

Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, September 23rd, for Mod of the Month, 2 - 4 PM at 2042 Forest Oaks Drive, 77017.

A vintage flat-roofed modern house in the Meadowcreek Village neighborhood will be open. The house is a foreclosure presently available for purchase and looking for a new preservation minded owner.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. Vintage modern dealer The Mod Pod will show some of their latest finds.

This mid-century modern house is situated on a large heavily wooded lot along a ravine, near a park and elementary school, just minutes outside the loop. It has all the sought after mod features such as terrazzo floors, flat roof, and walls of glass- all still in good original condition. The exterior composition consists of an interesting arrangement of brick panels and voids. It is a foreclosure so some repairs are needed but the price seems low for such a rare find. The living spaces are open concept and include a living-room and den plus there are four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Meadowcreek Village is one of Houston`s best undiscovered neighborhoods.

Houston Mod Lake Jackson Tour

Tour October 6: Coastal Forest Modern - Register Now

Join Houston Mod for a guided tour of the modern architecture of Lake Jackson and Freeport as part of the DoCoMoMo US 2012 National Tour Day on October 6. Experience the unique history of a mid-twentieth century planned community in the coastal forest.

Aug 19 Mod of the Month- Tour Two Mod Houses in Braeburn Valley in Need of New Preservation-Minded Owners

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, August 19, 2012, for Mod of the Month from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

Two vintage modern houses in the Braeburn Valley neighborhood will be open for touring. The houses are presently available for purchase and looking for new preservation minded owners. They are located close to Houston Baptist University and Memorial-Hermann Hospital in SW Houston.

Special thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.

This mid-century modern house was designed in 1956 by the talented and prolific architect Lucian Hood, Jr.. It overlooks the manicured expanses of the Braeburn golf course in Braeburn Valley. The exterior is a composition of ledge stone, brick and redwood along with expansive walls of glass. The present owner has maintained and restored the house including removing layers of paint from the redwood siding, exposing it`s natural grain. Inside, spaces flow freely with views of the shaded private back yard on one side and country club grounds on the other. The dining room has a 16` wide ledge-stone wall separating it from the living room. The guest bathroom is completely original and features vintage pink plumbing fixtures and elevated cabinets.

108 Timberwilde

Special Mod-of-the-Month April 29

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, April 29, for a very special Mod of the Month 2 PM - 4 PM at 108 Timberwilde Lane, Houston, Texas 77024

April is MODern Month in Texas. Fitting for such a special occasion, Houston MOD has arranged access to one of the state`s most fantastic endangered modern houses. The house is located in Houston on the banks of Buffalo Bayou in Hunters Creek Village. It was designed by Richard S. Colley in 1964 for James and Dorothy Greer. Greer is a developer and business leader from Houston.

= Richard S. Colley (1910-1983) was a nationally acclaimed architect who had offices in Corpus Christi, Texas. Educated at Texas A & M College of Architecture, he designed mostly in an organic style of architecture. In Corpus Christi, he designed a complex civic buildings, many of which have sadly been demolished. Colley`s greatest work is said to be the Texas Instruments building in Dallas he designed with Otha Neil `O`Neil` Ford. The building was listed in the Handbook of American Architecture in 1961 as one of 14 examples of great American structures.

The Greer house, said to be one of Colley`s finest, covers over 12,500 SF, all at ground level. Architectural historian Stephen Fox says Colley`s aptitude for detailing materials and his precision at linear composition are displayed in the dun-colored brick wall surfaces and the thin projecting roof slab. The pyramid that rises above the center of the house shields an internal courtyard.

Book Cover

April 16: Stone on Stone - Lecture & Book Signing - New Edward Durell Stone Book

Houston Mod and the Architecture Center Houston Present architect Hicks Stone, son of Edward Durell Stone, and author of the new book Edward Durell Stone: A Sonâ€™s Untold Story of a Legendary Architect (Rizzoli). with a free lecture and slide presentation on April 16th at 6PM.

Edward Durell Stone was one of the more controversial figures of 20th-century architecture. He was both celebrated and scorned, leading a life that was simultaneously triumphant and embittered. In his presentation, Hicks Stone will address a body of work that has been largely neglected, if not outright misunderstood.

The elder Stone is best known for his designs for the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The younger Stone details his father`s immense legacy with dramatic lesser-known works and his close relationships with other noted architects including Frank Lloyd Wright.

Houston Chronicle`s Lisa Gray: How Houston is getting its Groovy back

Los Angeles, Miami and Phoenix brag about their collections of fashionable midcentury modern buildings: goofy Googie coffee shops, sleek International Style high-rises, revived ranch-house neighborhoods and groovy office buildings. But as renewed love for the genre spreads in Houston, and buildings from that era receive the TLC and recognition they deserve, it`s becoming clear that our stock of mid-century modern architecture rivals and, in many cases, beats that of other cities.

Texas Premiere: MODERN TIDE: Mid-Century Architecture on Long Island

Plan to attend the Texas premiere of a modern architecture documentary at 7:00 PM on Thursday, February 23 at the River Oaks Theater. MODERN TIDE: Mid-Century Architecture on Long Island is a new film by Director Jake Gorst. One-night only screening sponsored by Houston Modern Market and Design On Screen. Evening will include a talk with Director Sam Wainright Douglas about his upcoming Houston film Lone Star Mod: Mid-century Houston Architecture Tickets $25 benefiting Houston Mod and the production of Lone Star Mod: Midcentury Houston Architecture. The film will showcase Houston`s modernist architecture, profile several premier Houston modernist architects, and explore the effects of Houston`s controversial lack of zoning on the preservation of these midcentury landmarks.

Howard Barnstone: The Paradoxes of Modern Practice, a lecture by Stephen Fox

Join Houston Mod for Howard Barnstone: The Paradoxes of Modern Practice, a lecture by Stephen Fox on Wednesday, February 22 at 6:30 PM. At Architecture Center Houston, 315 Capitol, Suite 120 Houston, TX 77002 Sponsored by Architecture Center Houston and Houston Modern Market Howard Barnstone was Houston`s most publicized modern architect of the 1950s and `60s. A prolific designer, professor of architecture at the University of Houston, and author of two seminal books, The Galveston That Was (1966) and The Architecture of John F. Staub: Houston and the South (1979), Barnstone was at various times in partnership with Preston M. Bolton and Eugene Aubry. Barnstone`s productive career, his influence on several generations of students at the University of Houston, and his impact on Houston`s cultural scene make him one of the most compelling figures in the history of twentieth-century architecture in Houston. Free to the public.

Join Design Onscreen and Houston Mod Thursday, November 3rd at the Frame / Harper house

Meet the director and producer working on a documentary about Houston`s mid-century modern architecture and it`s preservation. November 3, 2011

Join Design Onscreen and Houston Mod Thurs, Nov 3 at the Frame/Harper house

Reflections on Modernism - House Tour, October 8

Houston Mod announces a special house tour on Saturday, October 8, 2011 from 1PM to 5PM honoring three significant modern architects whose work had a significant impact on Houston’s postwar development. The houses on the tour pay tribute to these modern masters and reflect the different perspectives in which they worked.

Included in the tour will be private residences by Anderson Todd, a longtime Rice University professor and former Dean whose works have captured critical acclaim for their minimalist expression; John Zemanek, who has educated generations of Houston architects while Professor at the University of Houston; and Karl Kamrath, who worked in an organic modern style reflective of his interest in the work of Frank Lloyd Wright.

The tour will provide participants with the rare opportunity to see the interiors and exteriors of these architecturally-significant private homes and to explore the rich and diverse architectural legacy of mid-century Houston

Modsters from across Texas are invited to convene in San Antonio on August 6th for a full day of touring and interaction.

Modsters from across Texas are invited to convene in San Antonio on August 6th for a full day of touring and interaction. Members from Mid Tex Mod, North Texas Mod and Houston Mod have been invited to attend. All three organizations are linked through DoCoMoMo US which is a 501(c)3 registered non-profit organization, a union of regional chapters that share its members’ knowledge of and enthusiasm for the Modern Movement, promote public interest in it through lectures and walking tours, and organize advocacy efforts to protect endangered sites and buildings. DoCoMoMo is an acronym for the Documentation and Conservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the Modern Movement. The event will begin at 11:00 AM with a guided tour of the George Nelson exhibit currently on view at the McNay Art Museum. Nelson was a noted architect, writer, designer, and teacher whose ideas yielded numerous classics such as the family room in American interior design and furniture. This is the first comprehensive retrospective of Nelson’s work. Following lunch will be walking tours of the mid-century modern structures at the Trinity University campus and HemisFair `68 grounds plus neighborhood tours all with noted architectural historian Stephen Fox as our guide. Drive yourself (or carpool with a fellow mod-enthusiast), pay your own admission fee at McNay ($5.00) and for lunch at La Gloria/the Culinary Institute of America. Schedule and more details to follow. There is still time to join in. Please RSVP to info@houstonmod.org to check your membership status and to let us know the number in your party. We hope to see you in San Antonio!

Houston Chronicle on Frank Lloyd Wright`s Thaxton House

Lately, architecture fans have enjoyed the rare chance to ogle the only house in Houston designed by Frank Lloyd Wright — yes, the Frank Lloyd Wright, the world`s most famous 20th-century architect.

Since Thaxton House went on the market in November, realtors have opened the astonishing, long-private place to the media and groups such as Houston Mod in hopes of, as they say delicately, `finding the right buyer` - someone willing and able to drop $3.29 million to live in a landmark.

It`s a house well worth ogling, fascinating to anyone who`s even a little familiar with Wright: with Fallingwater, or the Guggenheim Museum, or even any of the novels inspired by the willful, stubborn genius. The Thaxton House, tucked away in Bunker Hill Village, may not be Wright`s most groundbreaking work, or his most beautiful. But it`s among the most Wright-ian of works in another way.

10914 Willowisp Dr. Houston: Sunday, May 15, 2011 from 2 - 4pm

The May, 2011 Mod of the Month event on May 15 features a custom home designed for Sally Barnes and her family by one of Houston`s leading modern residential architects of the 1950s, William R. Jenkins. The house is special on its own, with terrazzo flooring, walls of glass looking out to a swimming pool, and 1950s touches throughout the house, but the fact that all five houses in the Willowisp Cul de Sac were designed by Jenkins makes it unique among Houston neighborhoods. 10914 Willowisp Dr. will be open Sunday, May 15 from 2 - 4pm.

Sustainability & Preservation: The Perfect Match - Lecture May 10

“Sustainability & Preservation: The Perfect Match” Lecture by Barbara A. Campagna, FAIA, LEED AP May 10, 2011, 6:30pm Jones Hall, University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas Presented by U. S. Green Building Council (USGBC) – Texas Gulf Coast Chapter Greater Houston Preservation Alliance (GHPA), AIA Houston & Houston Mod. With additional support from The Association for Preservation Technology International (APT)-Texas Chapter & Preservation Texas This lecture is being held to promote National Preservation Month, and to raise awareness of the important link between preservation and sustainability. The May 10th lecture will be held at 6:30 PM, at the University of St. Thomas, in Jones Hall, designed by Philip Johnson. Admission is free and open to the public. Please arrive early to ensure a seat. No guaranteed seating is available. Jones Hall at St. Thomas University is located at the corner of Sul Ross Street and Yokum Blvd. Visitor parking is available in the Moran Center Parking Garage, located at West Alabama and Graustark, for a fee of $2.00. A reception sponsored by Houston Mod will follow the program

2011 is the second year for MODern month in Houston, and the inaugural year for MODern Month in Texas.

Organizations in three cities have partnered to host lectures in Houston, Austin and Dallas on April 11-13. Each lecture is hosted by a local Texas chapter or friend organization of DOCOMOMO US, which include Houston Mod, the first friend organization of DOCOMOMO US. These lectures are being held to support the statewide effort.

The lecture will be by Theodore H.M. Prudon, PhD, FAIA and is entitled Preservation of Modern Architecture.

Theodore Prudon, PhD, FAIA, is a leading expert on the preservation of modern architecture, Principal with Prudon & Partners Architects, author of Preservation of Modern Architecture and professor at Columbia University`s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation Department. Professor Prudon`s lecture will discuss the preservation of modern architecture, the need to advocate for our significant Texas modern heritage, and discuss the vital role modern preservation groups are making on the international, national, and local levels.

Professor Prudon is the president of DOCOMOMO US. DOCOMOMO is an acronym for the DOcumentation and COnservation of buildings, sites, and neighborhoods of the MOdern MOvement. Founded in 1988 in the Netherlands, DOCOMOMO International has national chapters or working parties in 54 countries and over 2,000 individual members. DOCOMOMO has become an important presence in the conservation of modern architecture worldwide, working in partnership with other international organizations, national governments, and national, regional, and local associations.

Mad about Mod Tour: Glenbrook Valley - Modern & Historic

Join Houston Mod for a celebration of mid-century modern architecture on October 9th. We will feature tours of the interiors and exteriors of six homes in Glenbrook Valley, plus a driving tour of notable nearby architecture in SE Houston. Glenbrook Valley has met the criteria to become the first post-war historic district in Houston and Texas. Celebrate the modern movement by attending the tour and becoming a member of Houston Mod, Houston’s modern architecture and design preservation advocacy group. Tickets for the tour are $15.00 per person, $10.00 for Houston Mod members. Join Houston Mod and get one free tour ticket for $35.00 individual membership, two tickets with $50 family membership. A list of all tour sites (6 houses confirmed, other sites to be added) will be distributed on your final admission ticket. Your ticket includes admission to a SPECIAL RECEPTION at the last tour stop where you will have the opportunity to mingle with special guests including original architects, local historians and neighborhood leaders.

Endangered Modern Tour: Central Presbyterian Church Campus Central Presbyterian Church on Richmond is one of the finest examples of mid-century modern church architecture in Houston. (Wilson, Morris, Crain & Anderson, 1960-1962) Faced with declining membership and a facility too large, the congregation has moved from the property. The site presently is being marketed for redevelopment. We have arranged a special tour of the site including the main sanctuary, jewel-box chapel and the parish hall. See the outstanding interiors including two large glass murals, custom-designed artwork and a variety of unique details. We`ll meet at the colonnade along the parking lot at on Saturday, August 14 at 2 PM to start the tour. The interior tour will end by 3 PM. 3788 Richmond, Houston, TX

Gragg Building sign with Mercury astronauts

Parks & Recreation Department Renovates Historic Gragg Building

According to Houston Chronicle reporter Mike Snyder, renovations are nearing completion on the historic Gragg building.

`The low-slung building, made from a distinctive green stone known as green-cast quartzite, was commissioned in 1956 as the headquarters for a Houston-based construction firm, Farnsworth & Company. Employees of that company would later develop such well-known contemporary firms as Spaw Glass and Williams Brothers.

Farnsworth hired MacKie & Kamrath, a local architectural firm, to design the building. The designers were influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and incorporated certain elements that Wright took from Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Aztecs and Maya, said Anna Mod, a preservation consultant who prepared applications for the building`s historic designations.

“When I saw the building in Houston, that`s the first thing I thought of,” Mod recalled. “Frank Lloyd Wright had borrowed the same vocabulary.”

Stephen Fox, a Rice University architectural historian, said MacKie & Kamrath incorporated some of the same elements into other corporate headquarters built in the 1950s, including the Schlumberger building on the Gulf Freeway (1953) and what is now the Exxon-Mobil research center on Buffalo Speedway (1954). These buildings represented part of Houston`s first wave of suburbanization after World War II, Fox said.

In 1961, oil drilling magnate Oscar Lee Gragg and members of his family bought the building as an investment but never occupied it. A year later, Gragg leased the building to a 4-year-old federal agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which used it as offices for the Mercury program and the Mercury 7 astronauts — the daring fliers immortalized in Tom Wolfe`s The Right Stuff — until 1964. The city purchased the building in 1976, and the Gragg family donated surrounding property for a park. The renovation project presented a challenge in modernizing the building — it wasn`t wired for computers, for example, and “we had cables everywhere,” Turner said — without compromising its historic qualities. Accomplishing that required close consultation with the agencies that grant historic designation, Turner said.`